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Baked potatoes can be made easily in your slow cooker as a simple and inexpensive weeknight meal. Endless toppings will suit everyone’s tastes.
Who doesn’t love a baked potato bar?
Potatoes are filling, always affordable, and become a blank slate for any flavor of toppings you crave. A baked potato bar is an easy crowd-pleasing meal for large gatherings, or an easy weeknight meal for yourself or your small family.
Why Not Bake Potatoes in the Oven?
Oven-baked potatoes are simple to make. So why use a slow cooker instead?
Using your slow cooker to “bake” the potatoes is a no-brainer, convenient way to have dinner ready when you come home from work (or play). Here’s why:
- You can prep the potatoes the night before, so all you need to do on a busy morning is plug in your slow cooker.
- You won’t need to heat up your oven on hot summer days.
- You’ll free up oven space for other items if you’re hosting a large dinner crowd.
- If you’re out of the house for work or activities, the potatoes are ready to eat as soon as you come home.
- It’s economical—a slow cooker uses half the electricity of one hour in the oven!
What You Will Need:
- A slow cooker
- Baking potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Aluminum foil (or pre-cut foil sheets)
- Toppings of choice (butter, sour cream, fresh herbs, cheese, chopped cooked bacon, steamed broccoli, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, etc.)
5 minPrep Time
4 hrCook Time
4 hr, 5 Total Time
Ingredients
- 4-6 potatoes, (Russet, Yukon Gold, or sweet potatoes work best)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt
- aluminum foil
- toppings, (sour cream, cheese, cooked meat, butter, herbs, spices, steamed vegetables, etc.)
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes. Pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Using a fork, prick the potatoes a few times all over to allow steam to release as they cook.
- Set each potato on a piece of aluminum foil (approximately 8-10 inches square). Drizzle olive oil over each potato, rubbing it into the skin. Sprinkle sea salt over the skin and wrap each potato individually with foil.
- Add potatoes to your slow cooker, foil seam side up. Be careful not to fill the slow cooker more than 3/4 full so that the potatoes will cook evenly.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve with favorite toppings.
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