Flag Day Feast: Only 5 simple ingredients. I set it up early when I want a stress-free evening with dinner already taken care of.

This 5-ingredient slow cooker Amish-style Flag Day potato dish is my kind of weeknight helper: you toss everything in early, let it bubble away all afternoon, and by dinnertime you’ve got tender, julienned potatoes in a glossy, caramelized amber glaze. It’s loosely inspired by simple Amish comfort cooking—nothing fussy, just pantry staples and a slow, gentle cook. The frozen potatoes soak up a sweet-and-savory butter-brown sugar glaze with a little tang, turning into soft, flavorful strips that look and smell like you fussed for hours, even though the slow cooker did the work.

Serve these glazed potatoes right from the slow cooker with grilled or baked chicken, pork chops, or a simple meatloaf. They’re also lovely next to steamed green beans, a crisp garden salad, or buttered corn for a true small-town potluck feel. I like to set the crock on warm and let everyone scoop their own, then offer a simple fruit salad or sliced watermelon for dessert to keep the Flag Day meal easy and family-friendly.

Servings: 6

1 (32-ounce) bag frozen julienned potatoes

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a bit of butter or nonstick spray to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.

Pour the frozen julienned potatoes straight from the bag into the slow cooker, breaking up any large clumps with your hands so they cook and glaze evenly.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and kosher salt until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and glossy.

Pour the butter-brown sugar mixture evenly over the potatoes, using a spatula to scrape out every bit of the glaze. Gently toss the potatoes in the slow cooker with tongs or a large spoon so they’re all lightly coated.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the liquid has thickened into a shiny, amber-colored glaze. Try not to lift the lid too often; each peek lets out heat and slows things down.

About halfway through the cooking time, gently stir the potatoes from the bottom up to help them cook evenly and get every strip coated in the developing glaze, then re-cover and continue cooking.

Once the potatoes are soft and coated in a thick, caramelized-looking sauce, turn the slow cooker to WARM. Give everything a final gentle stir, being careful not to mash the strips, and let the dish sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the glaze can settle and cling to the potatoes.

Serve the glazed potatoes straight from the slow cooker while hot, spooning up plenty of the glossy sauce over the top so each serving looks like those succulent, steam-kissed strips in a rich amber glaze.

For picky eaters, you can cut back the apple cider vinegar to 2 tablespoons for a milder tang and add 1 extra tablespoon of brown sugar for more sweetness. If your family likes a little smokiness, stir in 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika with the brown sugar mixture (this keeps you at 5 ingredients if you swap it for the salt and use salted butter instead). For a more savory version, reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup and add freshly ground black pepper at the table. To keep the recipe truly stress-free, you can assemble everything in the slow cooker insert the night before, cover, and refrigerate; in the morning, set the insert in the base and start cooking—just add 30 minutes to the total time to account for the chill. Food safety tips: Always keep the potatoes frozen until you’re ready to cook; do not let them sit out at room temperature for long periods before starting the slow cooker. If you prep the dish ahead and refrigerate the insert, make sure your slow cooker manufacturer approves using a chilled insert and never place a cold ceramic insert directly into a preheated base if the manual warns against it, as it can crack. Once cooked, do not leave the potatoes on the WARM setting for more than 2 to 3 hours; after that, cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate in shallow containers. Reheat leftovers thoroughly until steaming hot before serving.