Mashed Potatoes in the Slow Cooker Start to Finish

[Janelle205]

I have used a slow cooker to keep mashed potatoes warm before, but never made them completely in there.  This was ridiculously easy and they are delicious.

I did get the idea for this somewhere on the web, but I changed it significantly.  This is really more a method than a complete recipe - I eyeballed a lot of stuff.



Peel your potatoes (or don't if you like peels in your mashers) and cut into large chunks.  I probably did about 3 - 4 lbs of potatoes.  Throw the chunks into the slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour 3/4 cup or so of chicken broth (or veggie broth, or just water, which is what the original recipe called for) over the potatoes.  Slice up a stick of butter and put it on top.  (You could probably do less.  The original called for two sticks, but I thought that might be overkill)  Cook on high for about 5 hours, low for longer.  I did stir once or twice to get the ones on the top moved around to cook better.  If I was going to be gone all day and not able to stir, I would definitely do it on low. 

When the potatoes are soft, mash them with a hand masher or a hand mixer in the slow cooker - don't drain.  I just used a hand mixer to whip them in the pot.  Add whatever you normally add to mashed potatoes when you do this - but keep in mind there is the liquid, so you may need less liquid.  I added about a half a cup of milk and a few big spoonfuls of FF sour cream and some garlic and onion powder.  You can hold them in the slow cooker on the warm setting after mashing.

The potatoes did seem a little darker than normally after boiling for mashed potatoes, but after mashing, I can't really tell the difference visually.