Potato-Watercress-Basil Soup

With a bag full of potatoes a few weeks old, and hosting Soup Collective today, there was a fairly obvious course of action: potato soup. I called JD and asked if she had any particular favorites; she found one that wasn't quite what she was thinking, but still sounded pretty good. I modified slightly onnacounta lack of leeks.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
  
• 6 potatoes unpeeled and diced
• 2 small yellow onions, diced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, fresh
• large bunch of spring onions
  
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 cup watercress, chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 1/4 cup white wine
  
• 2 cups milk

Procedure:

• Combine stock, potatoes, onions and cook over medium heat for 15-20 min. until potatoes begin to soften
• Dice spring onions; melt butter and sauteé spring onions w/allspice; add 1/2 cup white wine and cook off partially; add watercress and sauteé 5 more minutes; set aside
  
• Add basil to potato soup mixture and cook 5 minutes
• Add spring onions to soup; simmer
  
• Stir in milk; do not reboil