So…Crock Pots. They are SO popular right now (hi, Pinterest!), and I think it’s because there is something so satisfying about throwing some ingredients into the slow cooker, walking away, goin’ aboutcho bidness, and then walking into your kitchen several hours later with a meal/side that is ready to go!
I understand the love. I feel the love. Me and my Crock Pot are buds, buuttt I will say that I don’t really like using my Crock Pot for the sake of using my Crock Pot. I don’t like using it when the recipe would only take 30 minutes to whip up in a regular pot and would be just as good if not better using said regular preparation.
For example: mac and cheese. You can throw it together in 30 minutes on your stove top, and I do not feel that a cheese sauce or pasta would benefit from simmering for several hours in a Crock Pot…I feel like that would hurt it more than help it, nahmean?? Now, if you have a Crock Pot Mac and Cheese recipe that you swear by, don’t be offended! You do you. These are just my weird Crock Pot beliefs. Also…send me that recipe because mac and cheese = bae.
The times that I love to use a Crock Pot are with recipes that will be even more delicious if simmered all day long, like this Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Butter, or this Easy Crock-Pot BBQ Chicken, or this Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce!
Soooo mashed potatoes? That is something that would fall into my category of “Unnecessary for Crock Pot use.” You can boil the potatoes in under thirty minutes and mash that goodness together, so why in the world do you need a slow cooker version?
My initial thought was 100% just about Thanksgiving. You need so much stove space on that day, and any way that you can free up that space is ???. Muy bueno. Which is why the Crock Pot version of mashed potatoes is so ideal for Thanksgiving day! Chop ’em up, throw ’em in, forget about them for several hours and, ding! Your potatoes are ready to go, and they required zero attention.
That benefit still holds true, but there are also other things that I realized are awesome about these mashed potatoes.
- No boiling the water. This seems like a tiny, tiny deal, but it’s actually really nice! You don’t have to sit there and wait for the water to boil, you don’t have to monitor the water to make sure it doesn’t get too hot and boil over – nothing! Just turn it on and leave them be.
- No testing. No need to fish a potato out of the scalding water and burn the life out of your tongue as you taste the potato for done-ness.
- No draining. Goodbye colanders! You just whip those potatoes up right in the Crock Pot – no draining necessary.
So now my hesitation with unnecessary Crock Pot use is totally hypocritical, because I will definitely be making these in the future – Thanksgiving or not!
All you do is throw some diced potatoes (no peeling necessary), chicken stock, butter, and garlic into your Crock Pot…
Forget about them, and four hours later, pop off the lid, mash in some butter, cream cheese, half and half, and chives, and…
Hello beautiful mashed potatoes! Thank you for being so easy and making our Thanksgivings as simple as possible ❤️.
So, why are they called “rustic” mashed potatoes? Really just for one reason: you don’t peel them. We are taking yet another step to make your Thanksgiving day even more effortless. Peeling potatoes is the worst. Does anyone like peeling potatoes? I always try to pawn that one off on my husband when he asks if I need anything.
It’s even worse when you’re using yukon gold potatoes (which are my fave for mashed potatoes) because they are smaller and there are more of them! So we are taking that step away from you this year.
Be lazy, don’t peel them, and call it “rustic” ?. I wonder what other food shortcuts we can take and use the excuse of being rustic…hmmm.
Rustic Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 5 pounds yukon gold potatoes, diced into about 1 inch cubes (no peeling necessary)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter, divided
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 8 oz cream cheese (the kind that comes in a block if you can find it)
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup minced chives
Instructions
- Add your diced potatoes and chicken stock into your crock pot. Season with salt and pepper and mix together
- Top the potatoes with the garlic and with 4 tablespoons of butter, sliced into thick chunks
- Turn your Crock Pot on high and cook for 4 hours
- When there are 5-10 minutes remaining, remove the lid and add the cream cheese and the remaining butter to the potatoes
- Place the lid back on for the remaining several minutes
- When the time is up, remove the lid and add the half and half
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the potatoes until they are creamy and thoroughly mashed*
- Stir in your chives and season to taste with salt and pepper
- *Note: If you don’t have a hand mixer, a regular potato masher will work, you just won’t end with quite as smooth of a consistency.*
Nutrition info is for 1/2 cup (4 oz) of mashed potatoes.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more Thanksgiving goodness? Check these out:
Ciabatta and Pork Sausage Stuffing
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce and Charred Shallots
With the potato masher they will be really rustic!! 😉
★★★★★
Haha – yes they will!
HOw do you feel about sub. The cream cheese for like sour cream?? I dont love cream cheese so it scares me. 😬
Sorry for this late response! I have been super off the blog since before Thanksgiving. You won’t taste the cream cheese in this since it’s such a small amount, but you can sub the sour cream if you want! Both would be yummy. Sorry if I was too late!!
Can you use chicken broth?
Instead of chicken stock? Yeah that will totally work!
I need to get on the bandwagon of making mashed potatoes in the crock pot. Mmm, all that garlic and cream cheese. Just give me a whole plate of this!
I’m totally with you on unnecessary crock pot uses! These mashed potatoes are SO perfect for holiday meals! Totally going to do this. And no one likes peeling potatoes.. I always pawn that task off on my mom!
Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Roasted Potatoes with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage