I made mashed potatoes in a slow cooker and they were the perfect easy side dish for Thanksgiving
Erin McDowell
- I'm always looking for ways to make preparing Thanksgiving dinner a little bit easier.
- I decided to try making mashed potatoes in a slow cooker and was pleased with the result.
I'm always looking for new ways to utilize my slow cooker. So, with Thanksgiving coming up, I decided to try making slow-cooked mashed potatoes.
I followed a recipe for slow-cooker cheesy garlic herb mashed potatoes from Half Baked Harvest, which is one of my favorite food blogs for slow-cooker recipes. The recipe itself only needed a few ingredients, including a couple of kitchen staples like whole milk, heavy cream, and herbs.
After peeling and chopping the potatoes, I added them to the slow cooker.
I then added in the heavy cream and whole milk. At first, I was surprised and admittedly a little concerned by how much dairy was included in the recipe. However, most of the milk and cream is removed at the end, except for about a cup which you add back into the finished mashed potatoes.
The next step was to add in the herbs.
The recipe calls for eight sage leaves and three sprigs of thyme.
After adding in the herbs, I smashed up the garlic and added it into the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
The recipe calls for four cloves of smashed garlic, though you can adjust it to your taste. I ended up adding five cloves for a little extra flavor.
I cooked the potatoes in the slow cooker for about 4.5 hours on high.
The potatoes were probably done a little before then, but I wanted to make sure I gave them plenty of time to cook in order for them to be easier to mash. After making sure the potatoes were fork-tender, I drained them in a colander and reserved the liquid in a mixing bowl.
I then mashed the potatoes in the slow cooker using a perforated spatula.
You can also use a potato ricer or potato masher, but I found it very easy to just use the tool I happened to have in my kitchen. Within a few minutes, the potatoes were perfectly mashed and creamy.
After pouring in about a cup of the milk and cream mixture, I added in the cheese and mixed the ingredients together.
The recipe calls for a cup of shredded Gruyere cheese. You can shred it by hand, but I chose to use pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store to make the process even easier and cleanup a breeze.
The final step was to add the butter. It should be room temperature, so remember to leave it out beforehand.
I used about 3 tablespoons of salted butter and reserved a final tablespoon for serving. I also added salt and pepper to taste. After giving the potatoes a final stir, I let them continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Finally, the potatoes were ready to eat.
I was really pleased with the consistency. They were perfectly creamy, without being grainy or turning into an unappetizing potato paste.
The mashed potatoes were some of the best I had ever eaten.
They were perfectly creamy, buttery, and the garlic really came through without being overpowering. I would definitely make these mashed potatoes again, especially considering how easy they were to make. I didn't have to stand over the stove waiting for them to boil — other than the mashing, it was basically a set-it-and-forget-it dish.
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, it's always nice to free up oven space whenever you can. I loved being able to make the mashed potatoes, set the slow cooker to warm, and serve them when we were ready for dinner. I imagine this would be even better after a long day of cooking in the kitchen — or simply after a long day at work.
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