Crockpot Baked Potatoes

I had no idea you could bake potatoes in the crockpot.  When I stumbled onto this recipe, I thought it was such a novel idea that I had to try it this Thanksgiving.  And I loved the results!

This recipe is quite a find.

Over the years, I have discovered much to my disappointment that not all baked potatoes are created equal.  Even when eating out, a good baked potato at one meal doesn't mean you'll get a good one at the next meal.  Which means ordering a baked potato can sometimes be quite the gamble.

By contrast, slow cooking lets the delicious flavor of the potato come out.  In comparison, conventional high-heat baking yields a less-than tasty result according to the Diane Phillips, author of Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (With More Than 400 Easy-to-Make Recipes).

Sure enough, these were some of the best baked potatoes I have ever eaten.  And the leftovers were equally tasty made into twice-baked potatoes the following day, by placing them back into the slow cooker on HIGH for one hour.

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Serves 4

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and washed well

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Using a toothpick, puncture each potato several times.  Drizzle the potatoes with oil and then sprinkle them with the salt and pepper.  Arrange the potatoes into a 4 quart crockpot and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.  Turn the crockpot to WARM and serve.

What The Seated Gardener Makes for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the United States and all around the world.

So, were you wondering what The Seated Gardener makes and eats on Thanksgiving?  Let me share what was on the menu at my home this year:

1. At 12 o'clock: homemade cranberry orange relish and fresh steamed asparagus
2. At 2 o'clock: Crockpot Baked Potatoes, slow cooked and delicious
3. At 5 o'clock: a wing from the 9 pound Li'l Butterball turkey that was fried using a Butterball Professional Series Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer and seasoned with a Butterball Buttery Creole Seasoning Kit
4. At 8 o'clock: Southern-style Green Beans made in the crockpot, featured the Musica Spanish Pole Beans I grew this past summer in my garden
5. In the middle: Stove Top stuffing (my husband's favorite) with diced onions, celery, carrots and fennel
6. Next to the plate: a glass of Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel (alcohol-removed wine) in a Govino Recyclable Shatterproof Plastic Wine Glass
7. Not pictured: Gala Apple pie

Check back over the weekend as I will be sharing the recipes I used to make this Thanksgiving feast.

 

 

Related articles

• Crockpot Southern-Style Green Beans (theseatedgardener.com)
• Crockpot Baked Potatoes (theseatedgardener.com)
• Cranberry Relish to Remember (theseatedgardener.com)
• Gala Apple Pie (theseatedgardener.com)

Labor Day Barbecue: Grill Up Some Steak Fries

With the unofficial end of Summer here, it's time to enjoy the three day Labor Day weekend here in the United States with a barbecue.  So this week at the store you'll want to pick up some steaks, burgers and hot dogs to cook on the grill.  

And what goes great with all these favorites?  Steak fries of course!


Did you know that you can make steak fries right on your BBQ grill?  They are so easy and tasty too, especially if you add hardwood chips on top of your charcoal briquets or use water-soaked chips in a smoker box on your gas grill.   

Grilled Steak Fries

2 to 4 large baking potatoes, like russets or white rose
good quality olive oil
sea salt
herbs and spices (optional)


Wash the potatoes under cold running water, brushing the skin all around with a stiff brush to clean off any soil or dirt since the potatoes will be grilled with the skin on. Dry using a clean towel. 

Cut each potatoes into 8 wedges. Depending on the side of the potatoes, you may want to cut the wedges in half.  Take care to cut the potatoes so that they all have approximately the same thickness.

Put the potato wedges into a large bowl and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and any herbs and spices you'd like to add.  Toss the wedges to ensure they are evenly coated with the oil, salt and herbs/spices. 

Try these herbs and spices to spruce up your steak fries.  You'll want to use about 2 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs or 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried herbs.

• Rosemary
• Tarragon
• Chives
• Sage
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder or Garlic Paste
• Black or White Pepper
• Powdered Chile Pepper (less is more with this ingredient)
• Smoked Paprika

The secret to these fries is indirect grilling, so place the potato wedges on a grate not directly above the fire.  On the charcoal grill, these means keeping the briquets on one side of the kettle.  On a gas grill, simply turn off the burner under your fries.  Grill with the lid closed, turning once after 15 minutes.  Feel free to use the excess oil from the bowl to baste the fries after you turn them over.  

It only takes about 30 minutes to make these steak fries.  The final product tastes a lot like oven fries, only much, much better.

Garden Trivia:  Did you know that the true end of Summer is at the Autumnal Equinox?  This year it occurs on September 23 at 9:04 am UTC.