A Thanksgiving favorite is made easy with the help of a slow cooker! Whip up these super easy and ultra-creamy, Buttery Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes for the holidays!
Can you believe NEXT WEEK is Thanksgiving!?! For some reason, it didn’t occur to me that Thanksgiving was already next week until this weekend as I prepared for our annual Friendsgiving and realized that as a food blogger I haven’t done my blogging duty and shared very many Thanksgiving recipes at. all. this month.
Sure, I shared an elegant dessert recipe and one recipe to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but I know my Thanksgiving posts have been seriously lacking. Sorry!
But, lucky for YOU, I realized when I did that Thanksgiving is less than a week away AND luckily for me (and YOU!) that I have been cooking and photographing a TON of delicious recipes. So, to help get you ready for Thanksgiving and leave you feeling excited and inspired for the holiday; I am deeming this Thanksgiving week here on Kitchen Concoctions!
This week I’ll be sharing a few Thanksgiving side dishes, an appetizer, a delicious recipe for something other than turkey that you can serve for Thanksgiving dinner and a hearty and comforting dish to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!
First up an easier way to make and serve a popular Thanksgiving side dish – mashed potatoes!
Before I get to the recipe, I have to be honest with you. I NEVER grew up eating mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving or Christmas. You see, since I grew up in the south we always had Garlic Cheese Grits, or occasionally Cheesy “Funeral” Potatoes, for our starchy holiday side dish. Which, if I am really being honest, I actually like cheese grits better than mashed potatoes anyways for the holidays. I love grits for their super cheesy, nutty, and creamy flavor and texture; and since we always only had them for holidays and a few other special occasions, as opposed to mashed potatoes that are a little bit more common, they really are a memorable comfort food!
BUT since mashed potatoes are an extremely popular Thanksgiving side dish, and one I will never pass up, I thought I would go ahead and share a good, no AMAZING, mashed potato recipe today.
These Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes are super easy and ultra-buttery. Not that regular mashed potatoes aren’t easy, this version, because it is made in the slow cooker, doesn’t require peeling or dealing with draining boiling hot water. Nope! Just dump everything in the slow cooker, and a few hours later use an electric mixer or potato masher and mash the cooked soften potatoes directly in the slow cooker! Then use your slow cooker to keep the mashed potatoes warm for serving at Thanksgiving dinner buffet!
Not only are these Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes perfect for the holidays, since the slow cooker will free up crucial stove top space and keep the mashed potatoes warm while waiting for dinner time; they are buttery, smooth and creamy just like potatoes should be! For the potatoes, I used Yukon gold potatoes which actually do better in the slow cooker, compared to Russet potatoes traditionally used in mashed potatoes, and have a natural buttery flavor. Also, since the potatoes are cooked low and slow in the slow cooker (and again because the skin on the Yukon gold potatoes isn’t so tough) you save time with this recipe by not peeling your potatoes and still end up with a smooth and creamy mashed potato (a little trick that I learned from a fellow caterer many years ago.).
With all that said, IF I were to serve mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving or another holiday dinner party, hands down, this is the only way to go! 😉
What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Please share in the comments below!
Buttery Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
A Thanksgiving favorite is made easy with the help of a slow cooker! Whip up these super easy and ultra-creamy, Buttery Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, quartered (see notes)
- 1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, sliced (plus additional butter for serving)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place potatoes in slow cooker. Pour chicken stock over potatoes. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper over potatoes. Top potatoes with butter slices.
- Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours; cooking until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Once potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, adjust slow cooker setting to warm. Add 1/4 cup milk and use a potato masher or electric mixer to mash potatoes directly in slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and cheese and continue mashing and mixing until potatoes reach a smooth and creamy texture, adding additional milk or sour cream if needed.
- Keep mashed potatoes in slow cooker on warm setting until ready to serve, adding additional vegetable stock or milk, if needed, to keep creamy. Serve warm topped with extra slices of butter.
Notes
*Yukon Gold potatoes have a thinner skin than other varieties of potatoes and thus do not have to be peeled when making this recipe. However, you can peel the potatoes before adding them to the slow cooker, if desired, for an even creamer mashed potatoes.
Do not use any other types of potatoes in this recipe, as they may result in a mashed potato that has an off color.
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These look so delicious!