This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style spring onion potato dish is the kind of simple evening meal people remember and request. It draws inspiration from the plain, unfussy cooking of Amish farm kitchens, where potatoes, onions, and dairy are everyday staples. Everything happens right in the slow cooker: you scatter chopped spring onions over raw sliced potatoes, add just two more pantry ingredients, and let gentle heat do the rest. The result is a tender, creamy, onion-scented potato dish that feels like comfort food but takes only a few minutes of hands-on time.
Serve these spring onion potatoes as a hearty side with roasted or grilled chicken, pork chops, or a simple skillet sausage. They’re also lovely next to pan-seared fish if you keep the rest of the plate light and bright, like a lemony green salad. For a vegetarian spread, pair the potatoes with steamed green beans, roasted carrots, and a crisp cucumber salad. Leftovers reheat well and make a great base for breakfast—top a warm scoop with a fried egg and a little hot sauce.
Slow Cooker Amish Spring Onion PotatoesServings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch)
1 1/2 cups chopped spring onions (green onions), white and green parts
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing the slow cooker
Directions
Lightly grease the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with a little butter to help prevent sticking.
Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the raw sliced potatoes evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker, making a fairly level layer.
Scatter the chopped spring onions evenly over the raw sliced potatoes, letting some pieces fall down between the slices. This layering gives you onion flavor in every bite and matches the classic Amish-style approach of keeping ingredients simple and close to their natural state.
Pour the chicken broth evenly over the potatoes and spring onions, making sure most of the potatoes are moistened. Dot the top with the small pieces of butter, distributing them across the surface so they melt down through the potatoes as they cook.
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 when pierced with a fork and the liquid has mostly absorbed into the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are tender, taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking. Gently stir from the bottom to coat the slices with the buttery broth and spring onions, being careful not to mash the potatoes too much.
Serve the potatoes hot straight from the slow cooker, spooning down to the bottom so each serving includes plenty of spring onions and buttery cooking juices.
Variations & Tips
For a richer dish, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream or heavy cream during the last 20 minutes of cooking, letting it warm through without boiling. If you prefer a cheesier version, sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded mild cheese—such as Colby, mild cheddar, or Monterey Jack—over the top during the final 15 minutes on HIGH, just until melted. To keep the recipe vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and consider adding a pinch of smoked paprika for a subtle, smoky depth that mimics ham-based broths often found in Amish kitchens. You can also add a little texture by tucking a few very thin slices of carrot or parsnip in with the potatoes; they’ll soften nicely without changing the character of the dish. For make-ahead prep, slice the potatoes and keep them submerged in cold water in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours to prevent browning, then drain and pat dry before adding to the slow cooker. If your slow cooker tends to run hot, check the potatoes early so they don’t overcook and fall apart—this dish is best when the slices are tender but still mostly hold their shape.
