Grandma swears this is the only way to cook potatoes now. Just 3 ingredients for the most flavorful side dish you will ever eat

My grandma always said a good potato could make a whole meal feel like a Sunday supper, even on a tired Tuesday night. These slow cooker 3-ingredient buttery ranch potatoes are the kind of thing she would have loved: simple, hearty, and so full of flavor you’d swear there was some secret trick involved. Truth is, it’s just baby red potatoes, real butter, and a packet of ranch seasoning, left to get cozy in the slow cooker until they’re tender, glistening, and downright irresistible. Around here in the Midwest, we’ve always leaned on the slow cooker for church potlucks, harvest suppers, and big family get-togethers, and this is the sort of side dish that quietly steals the show. Once you taste how rich, herby, and buttery these potatoes are, you’ll understand why Grandma would insist this is the only way to cook them now.

These buttery ranch potatoes are right at home beside a simple meatloaf, roast chicken, pork chops, or a slow-cooked beef roast. They’re also wonderful with grilled burgers or brats when you’d rather let the slow cooker handle the side dish. Spoon them straight from the black slow cooker crock onto your plate, making sure to drizzle some of that melted ranch butter over the top. Add a crisp green salad, steamed green beans, or buttered corn to round things out. If there happen to be any leftovers, they reheat beautifully alongside scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast or can be crisped up in a skillet for a quick hash.

Servings: 6

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and left whole or halved if large

Rinse the small red potatoes under cool water and scrub them well, leaving the skins on. Pat them dry with a clean towel. If any potatoes are much larger than the others, cut them in half so they cook evenly.

Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker crock if you like, then add all of the red potatoes in an even layer.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, pour in the melted butter. Sprinkle the dry ranch seasoning mix into the butter and stir until the seasoning is well combined and no big clumps remain.

Pour the buttery ranch mixture evenly over the potatoes in the slow cooker, using a spatula to scrape out every last bit. Gently toss the potatoes with a large spoon so they’re all coated in the seasoned butter.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, give the potatoes a gentle stir once or twice so they soak up the buttery ranch from the bottom.

When the potatoes are done, give them one final toss in the melted ranch butter so they’re glistening and speckled with herbs and pepper. Taste and, if desired, add a pinch of salt to your liking. Serve the potatoes hot straight from the slow cooker, spooning some of the buttery juices over the top of each serving.

If you’d like a little extra richness without adding more ingredients, choose salted butter instead of unsalted and skip any added salt at the end; it gives the potatoes a more old-fashioned, savory flavor that tastes like something straight from Grandma’s table. For a slightly different texture, you can lightly smash the potatoes with the back of a spoon in the slow cooker once they’re tender, then stir them into the buttery ranch juices so they soak up even more flavor and get a bit creamy around the edges. If you’re cooking for a crowd, this recipe doubles easily in a large slow cooker; just be sure to stir a few times so every potato gets its share of butter and ranch. To make ahead, you can scrub the potatoes and mix the melted butter with ranch seasoning the night before, then keep both chilled separately; in the morning, add everything to the slow cooker and let it work while you go about your day. Leftovers can be reheated in a covered dish in the oven or crisped in a skillet over medium heat, which gives you buttery ranch home fries that are wonderful with eggs or alongside leftover roast.