Take 2 dozen large live oysters in their shells and rinse them in fresh water to remove salt from their shells. Set aside.

Boil about 6 medium potatoes in pot until cooked, but still firm. Remove potatoes to cool, but reserve the hot water.

Measure 6 cups of hot water that was used to cook potatoes into steamer and steam the 2 dozen clean oysters in their shells until one or two oysters open, about 20 minutes. Remove oysters from steamer and allow to cool, but save the water and oyster juice in the bottom of steamer.

In large stew pot, melt half of stick of butter and add one large onion chopped into small pieces. Follow this with 4 large cloves of garlic chopped fine. Saute gently until onion is soft.

Shuck the oysters, being careful to save all liquid in shells. This liquid should be added to stew pot. Also be careful to remove the adductor muscle (the muscle that holds the two shells together) from the oyster meat of each oyster. Chop oyster meat into bite-size pieces and add to stew pot (at least 1 full cups of oyster meat).

Pour all liquid from bottom of steamer through a screen (to catch any bits of shell) into the stew pot and turn heat under pot to low.

Chop cooked potatoes into bite-size pieces and add as many as is appropriate to the stew pot. Add 3 cups non-fat buttermilk to the stew pot. Add freshly ground pepper to taste, and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes or more and serve.

This is especially good on a cold day served with hot sourdough bread. It is also very good the next day!