When it comes to cooking ingredients, there are few that are as elementary (and as versatile) as the potato. As studies have reported, potatoes are the most-eaten vegetable in America—and it’s easy to see why! If you’re out at a fast food restaurant, you’re probably ordering french fries. With plenty of meat dishes, you may have roasted or mashed potatoes on the side. They are cheap to buy and very filling to eat. Although it’s relatively easy to make potatoes all different ways, one of the “harder” ones is to make baked potatoes.
Typically, we have to preheat the oven and then wait a while for a baked potato to be done. If you’re in a rush, you can also try to cook a baked potato in the microwave (though your results may vary). Fortunately, we’ve got a baked potato recipe that’s even simpler—and if you haven’t guessed yet, yes, it uses a slow cooker.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- potatoes (as many as you want)
- olive oil
- salt
- aluminum foil
- a fork
- toppings (whatever you want)
Here’s what you do:
1. Before anything else, you have to prepare your potatoes themselves. Start by opening up your bag of potatoes and washing them thoroughly in the sink. Dry them off and then use a knife to prepare them like you normally would by cutting out any eyes and bruised areas. Finally, use your fork to poke a few holes in each potato and make sure you do it on each side.
2. After the prep work is done, brush the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle them with some salt as well. After that, break out your aluminum foil and wrap each potato tightly before placing them all inside the slow cooker.
3. Once you’re sure all your potatoes are wrapped up tightly, set your slow cooker and low and let it cook for seven to eight hours on low. If you’re more pressed for time, you can accomplish the same task by cooking them on high instead for four to five hours! Just be sure to check that they’re tender enough to eat at the end of it all.
4. After enough time has elapsed, take your potatoes out and crack the foil. Though they’ll probably need a little bit of time to cool, they should be soft and ready to go! Open up the foil, slice your potatoes open and dress them however you want. For an ideal baked potato, we recommend some sour cream, cheese, bacon bits and maybe some green onions or chives on top to bring it all together.
The secret to this recipe is in tightly wrapping your potatoes in aluminum foil to generate some extra heat. Not only will the metal itself pull heat into the potatoes from the outside, it’ll also seal in the moisture and help steam them as well. As an added bonus, the foil wraps also help prevent the need for any kind of clean-up. For some added cooking tips, be sure to not overcrowd your slow cooker with too many potatoes and to use tongs to move them around a bit throughout the process if necessary. While the potatoes at the bottom are likely to cook just fine, if you have some that are close to the top you may need to turn them. As always, experiment with the toppings as you wish and have fun!
Have you given this recipe a try for yourself? Let us know how it went in the comments.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
