Baked and Twice-Baked Potatoes

Posted on January 21, 2019 by prairiemoonquilts in Recipes

Several times over the last few months, I’ve mentioned to various people that I made Baked Potatoes in the CrockPot for supper, and they seemed surprised to hear that. I find it hard to believe that I know anything about cooking that someone else doesn’t already know, and I don’t even know where I got the idea to do them in the CrockPot, but since a couple of them asked me how I did it, I thought I’d just write a blog post about it!

I don’t like to cook, so when I have to, I’m all about the “quick and easy”, and this is definitely one of those things. And no, I don’t have an InstantPot, nor do I want one . . . have I mentioned I don’t like to cook? I don’t need any more gadgets that will require me to use them in the kitchen!

To further emphasize that point, My Cowboy came in the house from outside one day, and hollered, “Where you at?”. I hollered back, “In the kitchen!”. He hollered back, “Are ya lost?” Funny, ain’t he?

Since it’s just me and him around here, I usually make four large baked potatoes at once. You could do more if you have a larger family, or need more for whatever reason. My Crockpot would probably hold 6-8, depending on the size of them.

I basically prepare them just like I’m planning to put them in the oven. I wash them, pat them dry, poke ’em with a fork, then rub them with olive oil. I sprinkle some kosher salt all over them, and wrap them individually in tin foil. Then I put them in the CrockPot — it really doesn’t get any easier than that.

I cook them on high for about 5 hours. If you have more than four potatoes in, it might take longer than that, or if you’re cooking them on low, they could go all day.

Since we only eat two of them for supper the day I cook them, I put the two leftover ones in the fridge, and the next night, I turn them into Twice-Baked Potatoes.

To do that, I heat the potatoes just slightly in the microwave, slice them in half, and scoop out the middle. Then I put the shelled-out halves in a baking dish, and make the filling.

To make the filling, mash the scooped-out part of the potatoes, and add some melted butter, some sour cream, a little garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and some shredded cheese (I use Colby-Jack). Then add in enough half-and-half (or milk) to make them a creamy consistency — you don’t want them to be stiff and gummy. I’m not giving exact amounts here, because it will depend on how many potatoes you’re doing, and how big they are, so . . . you’re on your own for that part.

Then scoop the filling back into the shells, sprinkle some more cheese on top, and bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Super simple.

You could add some chives and bacon bits, or any other goodies you like, but I never have those things on hand, so mine are very simple.

These are so big that we usually just make a meal out of the potatoes by themselves. You could use smaller potatoes if you’re serving them with other menu items.

So if you’re looking for something easy, just put your CrockPot to work, and you can go on quilting while it does the cooking for you!

9 responses to “Baked and Twice-Baked Potatoes”

  1. Carole S. says:

    This is so perfect! You saved me from having to look this up, since I’d decided to do these for a quilting getaway I’m going on soon. Great instructions!

  2. Tia says:

    This is way too labor-intensive for me! If I want potatoes for dinner, I just microwave Ore Ida Krinkle Fries single servings! LOL

    I will say it is interesting to know you can use the crack pot (my term for it) to make baked potatoes!!

  3. Scarlett says:

    Nice! I have made baked potatoes in the Crock-Pot. Once I did a really large sweet potato – yummy! After working in town all day, it’s nice to come home to a cooked meal. I need to try the twice-baked.

  4. Randy Menninghaus says:

    Aw, it is 4 degrees with a brisk wind here in central Maine. Potatoes sound wicked good

  5. Virginia Smith says:

    I have baking then in the crock pot for a while. I don’t even foil them. Just the rest of what you do. Really easy and good.

  6. Sharon says:

    I made the baked potatoes exactly like this in the crock pot for guests several years ago. Everyone said they were the best. I haven’t been able to find the crock pot since we moved a year and a half ago. I guess it’s with the small fry pan, the family history books, the curtain rods, etc. Not ready to buy a new crock pot yet. Hoping things that disappear when you move eventually show up again.

  7. Angela Neese says:

    I hear you re: the Instapot! But I finally caved on Black Friday last Nov, and I’m glad I did. You can throw a piece of frozen chuck in it and in an hour it tastes like you were cooking all day – instead of actually being upstairs in the sewing room!

  8. Raewyn says:

    Yummy, thank you. I’ve also whole baked apples in the crock pot…core and prepare them as you would usually for baked apples with dried fruit and spices down the centre. Put the lid on and forget about them for a few hours. Also yummy.

  9. Debbie says:

    These look so good! Thanks for sharing!

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