My great aunt raised 6 kids on this during the worst years. She swore it was the only reason they made it through. Now my whole family requests it at every gathering.

This slow cooker 3-ingredient hobo potatoes recipe is the kind of humble, filling food that got a lot of Midwestern families through lean years. The story in my family is that my great aunt raised six kids on this during the worst times, and she swore that a sack of potatoes, a bit of fat, and an onion were the only reasons they made it through. It’s simple, comforting, and budget-friendly, but when it cooks down for hours, the potatoes turn tender with golden, caramelized edges that taste far richer than the ingredient list suggests. These days, it’s less about scraping by and more about nostalgia; my whole family asks for this at every gathering, and it always disappears from the slow cooker first.

Serve these hobo potatoes straight from the slow cooker with a big spoon, alongside simple proteins like roast chicken, grilled sausages, meatloaf, or pan-fried pork chops. They’re also excellent as the “hearty starch” on a table of potluck dishes, next to green beans, coleslaw, or a crisp salad. For breakfast or brunch, top a scoop with a fried or poached egg and a little hot sauce. A side of pickles or something vinegary cuts through the richness nicely, and warm crusty bread is perfect for catching the buttery, oniony bits at the bottom of the pot.

Servings: 6

3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks

Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them well under cool running water. Peel them if you prefer, but leaving the skins on adds a rustic texture and helps the pieces hold their shape. Cut the potatoes into roughly 1-inch chunks so they cook evenly and give you those hearty, tender bites.

Slice the onions in half from root to tip, then cut them into thin slices. The onions will cook down and soften in the slow cooker, eventually melting into the potatoes and forming those sweet, caramelized bits that cling to the edges.

Grease the inside of your slow cooker very lightly with a bit of butter or a neutral oil if you like, to help with cleanup and to encourage some browning around the sides.

Layer about one-third of the potato chunks in the bottom of the slow cooker, spreading them into an even layer. Scatter one-third of the sliced onions over the potatoes, then dot with one-third of the butter pieces. Repeat this layering—potatoes, onions, butter—two more times until all of the ingredients are used. Try to keep the top layer fairly even so it cooks uniformly.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, gently stir once or twice, scraping along the sides and bottom to pull the golden, caramelized bits into the potatoes. Replace the lid promptly each time to keep the heat in.

Once the potatoes are fully tender and you see some crispy, golden edges and deeply browned onion bits around the sides of the crock, give everything a final gentle stir. Taste and, if desired, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, but remember the original version was often just the potatoes, onions, and butter.

Serve the hobo potatoes hot, directly from the slow cooker on its warm setting, making sure to scoop from the bottom to capture those caramelized, buttery bits. Any leftovers can be cooled quickly, then stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheated in a skillet or the microwave.

To stay true to the spirit of this recipe, keep the ingredient list short, but there’s room to adapt. If you want a slightly smokier, more modern flavor, you can add a teaspoon of smoked paprika or a pinch of dried thyme with the layers, though that does technically add a fourth ingredient. My aunt sometimes used whatever fat she had: bacon drippings or rendered sausage fat instead of some of the butter, which gives the potatoes a deeper, meatier flavor. If you need to stretch the dish even further, you can add an extra onion or another pound of potatoes; just be sure not to overfill your slow cooker more than about three-quarters full, and allow a bit more cooking time. For a crisper finish, spread the cooked potatoes onto a sheet pan and run them under a hot broiler for a few minutes to add more browned edges. Food safety tips: Always keep the potatoes refrigerated until you’re ready to prep, and don’t leave peeled or cut potatoes soaking at room temperature for long periods—if you need to hold them, cover with cold water and refrigerate. Once cooked, don’t leave the slow cooker on the counter unplugged; either keep it on WARM for up to 2 hours or cool the potatoes quickly and refrigerate. Reheat leftovers to steaming hot (165°F/74°C) before serving, and discard any potatoes that have sat at room temperature for more than 2 hours to avoid bacterial growth.