Every once in a while, there comes a time when you're making a delicious meal for your family, but your stove and oven both are full of pots and pans creating various parts of a magical dinner. You still need a side dish to complete the meal, so that leaves us with one simple solution, the slow cooker. Today's recipe, Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes, is a convenient, hands-off way to finish a meal while still packing the flavor and finesse of a well-executed Michelin Star dinner! Okay, maybe not Michelin Star worthy, but your family is guaranteed to enjoy these spuds as if you put in real actual effort and didn't cheat with a slow cooker. I realize mashed potatoes are not the sexist of recipes, but they are a go-to side for numerous meals so enjoy the quick walkthrough and start planning your next dinner.....Let's Get Cooking!
Even though the slow cooker takes away the actual cooking part of this recipe, unfortunately, we still have to spend a few minutes on prep work. Like most mashed potato recipes, begin by peeling and quartering the potatoes. Be sure to put them in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from turning brown while you finish prepping the rest of the spuds. As for the potatoes themself, feel free to use Russets, Yukon Golds, or even Baby Reds. No matter which particular potato you use, be sure to break them down into 1-2inch pieces so they cook a bit faster and more evenly.
Believe it or not, that essentially completes our prep work! Spray the liner of your slow cooker with some nonstick/butter spray and add the potatoes. Pour in the chicken stock and add the butter and minced garlic. Go ahead and give everything a liberal coating of salt and pepper and stir to make sure all the potatoes are seasoned. They don't need to be submerged in stock, but feel free to add a bit more stock or water to bring up the liquid level to halfway up the potatoes.
Set the slow cooker on high and let it do its thing for about 3 hours while you attend to other priorities in the kitchen. It isn't necessary, but you can give them a stir after 2 hours or so to ensure everything is cooking evenly. Otherwise, enjoy the free time to finish the rest of the meal or take a load off and watch some television. After 3 hours, use a fork and poke the potatoes to verify they are softened and cooked throughout. As long as you didn't leave them in very large pieces, 3 hours should be sufficient cooking time. Otherwise, just let them cook a bit longer till they are fork tender.
Once tender, start mashing the potatoes using the cooking liquids right inside your slow cooker. If you don't have a potato masher, you can transfer the potatoes and liquid to a food processor or blender and pulse away. Once the potatoes are slightly mashed, add in the sour cream, milk, and Italian Seasoning. Keep mashing them until everything is incorporated and smooth throughout. Using a potato masher will keep things a bit more rustic and chunky whereas a food processor should make them completely smooth. It is up to you how you like your potatoes so just mash or blend till you are satisfied.
Once you are satisfied with your potatoes, be sure to give them a taste. Yes, we did add salt and pepper earlier, but that doesn't mean they can't use a bit more to finish off the dish. Another option at this point would be to add some garlic salt to fortify the garlic flavor and complete the overall flavor profile. It's really up to you at this point so taste them and make the call. They should be pretty good as is, but that final seasoning adjustment or little extra tab of butter can go a long way towards making good mashed potatoes great!
Keep it simple and leave them plain or get Instagram-worthy with some fresh chives or parsley for a pretty picture! Hopefully these hands-off Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes fit the bill and complete your meal. They do take a bit longer to cook than traditional mashed potatoes, but when you're busy with 3 other pots and pans or simply need time to run some errands while dinner cooks, these potatoes can end up being a meal-saver! Never fear the kitchen or give up thinking a meal is just too hard to pull off. Make delicious food and keep your friends and family happy...Just Keep Cooking!
SLOW COOKER GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
Comments