Pile in the potatoes, then go away.

The question is: If you cook a potato in your slow cooker, can you still call it a baked potato? Wouldn’t it technically be a crocked potato, considering the lack of actual baking?

While I don’t see “crocked potatoes” catching on anytime soon, I predict that cooking your spuds in the crockpot will. Slow cooking your scrubbed, whole potatoes results in a perfect, moist, ready-to-be-topped tater that seems to be almost foolproof.

Another upshot of the slow cooker baked potato is that it seems impossible for it to overcook or dry out. I wouldn’t want to test it for 24 hours just for kicks, but I did leave my potatoes in the crockpot for a whole three hours longer than I intended while I shopped. I nervously cut one open, and was hit with a blast of steam from a perfect potato specimen.

The slow cooker is reknowned for holding in moisture, so I suspect that overcooking would be very hard to do, considering the amount of liquid in just one potato. Oven-baked potatoes, however? You probably know as well as I do that overcooking by even just a little gets you a rock-hard skin on the outside and a gummy potato on the inside.

Of course the fun part of baked, crocked, or whatever-you-want-to-call-them potatoes is getting to top them. It might work for Las Vegas waitresses, but when it comes to potatoes, nobody likes them topless.

I opted for ricotta cheese, and a spinach-Parmesan mixture I whipped up on the fly, while the fiance opened a can of chili. We both ate two, making a meal out of them, and were thrilled to have leftovers to fry up the next morning with peppers and onions. Make extra –it’s worth it.

Potato with light Ricotta and sauteed spinach, garlic, onion, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheese.

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients: As many potatoes as you can fit in your slow cooker. (I recommend at least 4 just for even heat distribution.)

Directions: Scrub potatoes and prick with a fork multiple times. Wrap in foil and pile in the crock of your slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 3-4 hours. Do not add any water. Seriously.

Topping Ideas:

• *Traditional: butter, sour cream, cheese, chives, and bacon crumbles.
• *Thick Greek yogurt, green onions, and kalamata olives.
• *Ricotta cheese and spinach.
• *Hot chili and shredded cheddar.
• *Tuna salad or baked beans (They love it in England. No joke.)
• *Chunky garden salsa.
• *Chopped fresh tomatoes or sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Have a favorite potato topping, from the weird to the wonderful? Leave a comment and share it with other crock teases.