Upscale Potato Chips by Bridget

I don't normally think of potato chips as being something I would serve for company. There are even jokes about the seven-course Irish meal- a six pack of beer and a bag of potato chips! Not that chips don't have their place- chips and dip are a great game-day or poker night snack. My sister-in-law makes a dip for chips that is legendary in our family and it can make cream cheese and a bag of chips disappear faster than David Copperfield can get rid of a 747. Potato chips, when crushed can be a great crust for oven-baked or fried foods (try crushed salt and vinegar chips on fish!)

So if you had told me that there could be a simple appetizer that you would be proud to serve at a cocktail party, I am not sure I would have believed it, yet my daughter Bridget made me a believer. These little morsels use the chip as the canvas for a topping of lime-laced sour cream, smoked salmon and chives. Amazing! Bridget threw these together as a snack at the beach and they were an instant hit (see the empty space on. Give them a try yourself - you won't be sorry. And I am throwing in the Dowd family recipe for the chip dip that is part of any casual Dowd gathering.

Bridget's Highbrow Potato Chip Appetizers

20-30 potato chips (ripple or kettle chips work best)
1 cup light sour cream
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

Mix the lime juice with the sour cream. Put a dollop on each chip and top with smoked salmon and sprinkle chives on top. Serve and get out of the way!!

Dowd Family Famous Chip Dip

8 oz cream or neufchatel cheese
garlic salt
Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tablespoons milk

Soften cream cheese and stir in worcestershire sauce and milk to achieve creamy consistency. Add garlic salt to taste.

Potato Chips