These 5-ingredient slow cooker Amish smothered potatoes are exactly the kind of comfort food I lean on during a busy workweek. You literally toss raw peeled fingerling potatoes into the slow cooker, add four everyday items—butter, onion, chicken broth, and salt—and let it do the work while you handle the rest of your day. The result is a tender, buttery, almost gravy-like potato dish that tastes like something straight off a farmhouse table, without babysitting the stove or turning on the oven.
Serve these smothered potatoes as a cozy side with roast chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, or grilled sausages. They’re also great with a simple green salad or steamed veggies to balance the richness. If you’re going full comfort mode, add warm dinner rolls or crusty bread to soak up the buttery broth. Leftovers reheat well, so they’re perfect next to eggs and bacon for a hearty breakfast-for-dinner kind of night.
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Amish Smothered PotatoesServings: 6
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, peeled and left whole
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
Place the peeled whole fingerling potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. They should look like a scattered single layer of raw peeled potatoes across the dark insert.
Scatter the thinly sliced onion evenly over the potatoes, tucking some slices down between the potatoes so the flavor gets all the way through.
Dot the butter pieces over the onions and potatoes so they’ll melt and coat everything as they cook.
Pour the chicken broth evenly over the top, then sprinkle the kosher salt over everything.
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.
Once cooked, gently stir the potatoes in the buttery onion broth to coat them without breaking them up too much. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed before serving hot, spooning plenty of the smothered onions and broth over each portion.
Variations & Tips
For extra richness, you can stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream or sour cream at the end of cooking, just until warmed through. If you prefer a vegetarian version, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and keep the rest the same. For a slightly more herb-forward flavor (still using everyday items), add 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley or dried thyme with the salt. If you like a bit of color, you can leave some of the fingerling skins on, but make sure they’re scrubbed very well before peeling or partially peeling. To prep ahead, peel the potatoes up to 1 day in advance and store them fully submerged in cold water in the fridge; drain and pat dry before adding to the slow cooker. Always refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking and store in a covered container for up to 3–4 days; reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before serving. Do not leave the slow cooker on “warm” for more than 2 hours after cooking is done to reduce food safety risks.
