🥔 Slow Cooker Smashed Potato Bake

This easy 4-ingredient potato dish delivers crispy, golden tops with soft, buttery centers. Everything cooks in the slow cooker, making it a convenient side dish when oven space is limited.

Serve these potatoes directly from the slow cooker for a warm, family-style presentation. They’re delicious with burgers, sausages, steak, roasted chicken, meatloaf, or a fresh green salad. Add coleslaw, corn salad, pickles, or cucumber salad for extra freshness and crunch. For larger gatherings, finish the meal with fresh fruit and an easy make-ahead dessert.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds baby gold potatoes, rinsed and dried
• 1 cup salted butter, melted and divided
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ⅓ cup fresh chives, finely chopped and divided

Directions

1. Prepare the slow cooker: Lightly grease a 6-quart slow cooker with some melted butter or cooking spray.
2. Add the potatoes: Arrange the potatoes evenly in the slow cooker. A little overlap is fine.
3. Season: Pour ¾ cup of the melted butter over the potatoes and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
4. Cook until tender: Cover and cook on HIGH for 3–3½ hours or LOW for 5–6 hours, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
5. Drain and smash: Remove any excess liquid while keeping the butter in the slow cooker. Gently press each potato with a fork or potato masher, leaving the potatoes mostly intact with rough, craggy surfaces.
6. Add more butter: Drizzle the remaining melted butter over the smashed potatoes and sprinkle with half of the chopped chives.
7. Crisp the tops: Leave the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Cook on HIGH for another 45–75 minutes, until the potato tops become golden and crisp.
8. Finish and serve: Scatter the remaining chives over the potatoes and serve hot directly from the slow cooker.