Pour olive oil and potatoes in a slow cooker for this lip-licking dish

Potatoes are an amazing food. French fries, hash browns, twice-baked, Au gratin ... you can cook them about a million different ways. One of my favorite ways to cook potatoes is in the slow cooker. The potatoes soak up flavor and cook properly without heating up my kitchen. With summer temps right around the corner, this dish is an easy way to make a side without breaking a sweat.

This garlic ranch potato recipe is great for combining three of the best foods in the world: potatoes, garlic and ranch dressing. If you aren't a fan of ranch, you can always substitute the ranch packet for taco seasoning or a packet of chili flavoring.

Grab your slow cooker and the following to get started on these tasty potatoes:

2-lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered or cut into 1.5" pieces
1 1-oz ranch seasoning dressing (or 1 tablespoon homemade seasoning)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon salt, or more to taste

1. Place potatoes into a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle salt, ranch seasoning, olive oil, chives and garlic over potatoes. Toss to mix.

2. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until it is fork tender. Be sure to check on your potatoes periodically to avoid overcooking.

Pro tip: If you don't have access to packets of ranch seasoning, you can make your own using garlic salt, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder.

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