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Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

For Potatoes:

  • 4-5 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coarse, kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup chicken broth, I use low-sodium

For Mashing:

  • ⅓ cup milk, if needed
  • 2-3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened (or 1/4 cup sour cream)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Grease the insert of a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, milk, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours until the potatoes are very tender.
  • Uncover the slow cooker, take out the garlic cloves, and add the additional 1/3 cup milk (if needed - if the potatoes already look plenty soft/liquidy, don't add this or add it gradually), butter, and cream cheese. Mash until creamy. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Cover the slow cooker and turn the heat to low or warm until ready to serve (up to an hour).

Notes

Potatoes: the potatoes won't be completely covered with liquid, but that's ok. It's even ok if the tips of the uncovered potatoes discolor just a bit.
Slow Cooker: depending how hot your slow cooker cooks or how long you cook the mashed potatoes, the milk mixture may brown/caramelize around the edges of the slow cooker insert. You can scrape this part out of the slow cooker before mashing; I'm lazy and just mash it up all together. Delicious!
Make-Ahead: the potatoes may be able to stay in the slow cooker on "warm" longer than an hour, but that's the longest I've kept them hanging out before serving.