Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Potatoes

Sundays are a constant trip to crazy town around here. There's just a lot to do, plenty of places to be, and a lot for me to remember. The last thing I want to have to worry about is dinner. Unfortunately, dinner is always the first thing me and my family are sniffing the air for when we walk into the apartment after church each week. 

I've learned to lean on my slow cookers, and lean on them hard! Our oven doesn't have an automatic self-timer, and I get a little nervous leaving it on when I leave. So the slow cookers it is, and they continue to save my sanity - especially when it comes to Sunday dinner. 

When I was growing up, my Mom was a pro at Sunday dinner. She's always have the most beautiful roast in the oven, falling apart at the touch of a fork, or a gorgeous pan of Italian food (usually manicotti shells or lasagna) waiting for us when we walked in the door. So you see, I feel like the standard (according to my entire childhood, anyways) has been set pretty high when it comes to having something lovely and hearty on the table each Sunday. Well, life gets super busy, and it's all I can do sometimes to have at least something on the plate after a long morning and afternoon away. So before I go to my meetings, I always make sure to have something simmering away in the crock pot. A couple weeks ago, we tried these darling little yellow potatoes in the mini crock pot for a side, and MAN it has changed the game entirely! 

They were soft, buttery, and had plenty of bite from the dried herbs they simmered away in all afternoon. It seriously was so heavenly having it on our plates with dinner. And it was (as always, it HAS to be) easy. 

I mean, with the exception of the slicing of the potatoes, I could have had my almost four-year old do this by himself. All it takes is placing the potatoes in a bowl, tossing on the butter/oil, garlic, and herbs, stir it around, dump it in the crock pot, place the lid on, and let it cook for a few hours to perfection with absolutely zero effort at all. 

There's a really awesome option at the end, too - you can serve it on your plates with a little sprinkle of Parmesan and parsley. We did this on our plates, but I didn't get a shot of it - because well, after a long morning and afternoon, we almost didn't even have time to get cheese on the dang things before eating them! Hungry hippos, we are. That's the truth. So when you're whipping up dinner this week, or planning out your Sunday, these potatoes will most definitely save your sanity. Enjoy! 

Slow Cooked Garlic Herb Potatoes 

makes 6 servings

ingredients:

3 lbs baby yellow potatoes, halved or sliced 

2 T olive oil

2 T unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t dried oregano

1/2 t dried basil

1/2 t dried dill

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (we were pretty generous with the salt) 

*optional: sprinkle with 1/4 C freshly grated parmesan & 2 T parsley leaves when serving

method:

1. Lightly coat the inside of a smaller slow cooker with nonstick spray. In a bowl, stir together potatoes, olive oil, butter, garlic, oregano, basil, and dill into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the slow cooker. 

2. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, until tender (will depend on size the potatoes were sliced). 

3. Serve immediately as a side, garnished with Parmesan and parsley. 

recipe adapted from: Damn Delicious