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These Slow Cooker Potatoes are the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your weeknight rotation. You toss raw, skin-on russet halves into the crock pot with just four pantry ingredients — butter, cream, garlic, and herbs — and by dinnertime you’ve got tender, creamy potatoes with a rich, garlicky sauce pooling at the bottom. Set it in the morning and forget about it. That’s really all there is to it.
Why You’ll Love This
Truly hands-off — cut the potatoes, pour the sauce, walk away. No parboiling, no babysitting, no fuss.
Five ingredients total — everything is already in your pantry or fridge, nothing fancy required.
That cream sauce — it thickens up in the bottom of the crock and gets rich and garlicky in a way that tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
Goes with everything — pork chops, roast chicken, meatloaf, ham steaks. Or just on their own with a salad and call it dinner.
Skins stay on — more flavor, more texture, one less thing to do.
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
Russets are non-negotiable for me here. They’re starchy and dense and they hold their shape in the Slow Cooker without going to mush, which some waxy potatoes will do. Leave the skins on—they add texture and flavor and, frankly, they’re fiber.
The cream. I use heavy cream when I have it. Half-and-half works too and it’s a little lighter, which sometimes I want and sometimes I don’t. What I’d steer you away from is regular whole milk—it tends to separate a bit in the Slow Cooker and the sauce gets thin and a little grainy. I’ve done it in a pinch and it’s fine, but it’s not the same.
Garlic powder is what I use. I know, I know. Fresh garlic is in the variation notes and I do use it sometimes, but garlic powder distributes more evenly in a liquid and it’s what I have on the shelf and it does the job beautifully. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about garlic powder.
Italian seasoning is just whatever’s in my spice cabinet. I’ve used just parsley. I’ve used thyme and rosemary from the garden when I had it. Any dried herbs you like are going to work here.
Ingredients
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2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed well and halved lengthwise (skins on, please)
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted — or just slice it and lay it over the top, I’ve done it both ways
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1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half if that’s what you’ve got)
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1 teaspoon garlic powder — maybe a little more if you love garlic the way I do
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1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or just dried parsley, or whatever herb blend is in your cabinet)
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1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus another pinch at the end after you taste it
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Let’s Make Them
Start by scrubbing those potatoes under cool running water. Really scrub them — the skins are staying on and you want them clean. Pat them dry, then cut each one in half lengthwise so you get these nice long boat-shaped halves. If any of them are very large, go ahead and cut those in half again. You’re looking for pieces that’ll cook through evenly, so don’t leave a giant potato in there whole, it won’t be happy.
Grease the inside of your slow cooker — I use a little butter, just smear it around the bottom and partway up the sides. Some people use nonstick spray and that’s fine too.
Arrange the potato halves cut side up in the crock. They can nestle against each other a little, that’s fine, but try to keep the cut sides facing up as best you can. The cut side is where all the butter and cream will soak in, and that’s what makes them so good.
Now mix your sauce. In a measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cream, garlic powder, herbs, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir so the butter and cream are well combined. Then pour it over the potatoes — slowly, evenly, so every potato half gets some. Take a spoon and nudge the liquid around so it seeps down between the potatoes to the bottom of the crock.
Lid on. LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or HIGH for 2 and a half to 3. I almost always do LOW because I’m starting these in the morning and I don’t want to think about them, and they always come out perfect. The first time I made them on HIGH I checked at 2 hours and they weren’t quite done, so I bumped the time and they were beautiful at the 3-hour mark — but the LOW method is more forgiving if you lose track of time.
You’ll know they’re done when a fork slides through without any resistance. The edges of the potatoes will look a little creamy and the sauce at the bottom of the crock will have thickened up and turned golden-smelling in a way that makes it impossible to stay out of the kitchen.
Before you serve them, taste the sauce. Just dip a spoon in and see where you are on salt and pepper. Sometimes it needs another pinch, sometimes it doesn’t — depends on the potatoes and the butter you used. Spoon that garlicky cream generously over each potato half when you plate them. Don’t be stingy with it.
If you want to get a little extra with it, sprinkle on some fresh parsley or a tiny extra pat of butter on top. It looks like you tried.
Variations
My daughter adds shredded cheddar — she puts it over the potatoes in the last twenty or thirty minutes of cooking, puts the lid back on, and lets it get melted and a little bubbly. That’s a completely different dish and it’s incredible. My son requests it specifically.
I tried once stirring a spoonful of Dijon mustard into the cream mixture and I liked it more than I expected to, though I haven’t done it a second time mostly because I keep forgetting. It adds a little sharpness that cuts through the richness.
Cooked and crumbled bacon on top right before serving. Obviously. I don’t think I need to explain this one.
For herb variations: if you have a rosemary bush in the yard like I do, a sprig or two tucked in among the potatoes before you put the lid on is just wonderful. Fish it out before you serve, though.
Storage
Leftovers go in the fridge in a sealed container and they keep fine for three or four days. I reheat them in the microwave, spooning a bit of water or cream over the top so they don’t dry out, and they’re nearly as good as the first day. I’ve also reheated them in a covered skillet on the stove with a splash of water and they actually get a little crispy on the bottom that way, which I personally love.
Don’t leave them sitting out. Two hours is the limit and I know we’ve all been lazy about this but potatoes and dairy are not forgiving if you leave them on the counter all evening.
Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lb russet potatoes scrubbed and halved lengthwise
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes thoroughly under cool running water and pat them dry.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Cut especially large potatoes into smaller, evenly sized pieces.
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 4-quart or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Arrange the potatoes cut-side up in the slow cooker, allowing them to nestle closely without tightly stacking them.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, heavy cream, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the cream mixture slowly and evenly over the potatoes. Use a spoon to guide some of the liquid between the potatoes.
- Cover and cook on low for 5–6 hours, or on high for 2 1/2–3 hours, until a fork slides easily through the potatoes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the salt or pepper as needed.
- Serve warm with the garlic-herb cream sauce spooned generously over each potato.
Notes
Nutrition