Thursday, February 2, 2012

1 Potato, 2 Potato, 3 Potato, 4.....

OK....so I know potatoes are not the most healthy food in the world, but I would also have to argue that they are not the worst either.  At least I want to believe this.  I love potatoes...  baked potatoes, fried potatoes, twice-baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, breakfast potatoes, julienne potatoes.  Ok, Bubba, you get the idea.  Any kind of potatoes are delicious.  A baked potato can hit the spot- and depending on how you top it- varies in fat content and nutritional value.  So whether you opt for the full-on deliciousness of the loaded tater (to be specific- lathered in sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits) or maybe top it with some leftover turkey chili or some crisp green onions, and it is a sure winner on these cold winter days.

I recently discovered a quick and easy way to make baked potatoes in my crockpot. Yes- for real. I needed to use up some potatoes in my pantry before they started going bad.  It couldn't be any easier.  Take a few minutes in the morning to throw these together in the slow-cooker and then you have a quick meal ready to go when you walk into the door.  No waiting an hour for the darn things to cook.  No microwaved, chewy potatoes.  You will love this simple, yet rewarding dinner.

First of all, wash each potato and pierce with a fork.  Lay the potato on a small piece of foil. Brush with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  I like to use tasty sea salt just like the restaurants do.



Repeat with all the potatoes.  (It took me about 10 minutes total to repeat this process with about 8 potatoes.)


Simply place all the foil-wrapped potatoes in your crockpot.  No need to add water or anything like that.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

...and you are DONE!  Enjoy your baked potato with a salad or your favorite cut of meat.  I just like to set up my own little baked potato bar for my family with the healthy (and no-so-healthy) fixins' and there you have it- a quick and easy dinner!

What other crockpot recipes do you enjoy or what would you like to see included on this blog?  Please comment and leave your ideas for a future post!

2 comments:

  1. I should also add that we have learned that this method does give your potatoes a more "earthy" color to them. Sam assures me that the potatoes look more brown due to the fact that they are steamed all day and the pigment from the skins starts to color the potato, but they taste just like normal.

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  2. We've done this for potlucks, though we didn't wrap them all. Works great for a function and then everone brings a topping!

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