Baked Potatoes - in a crockpot

I love potatoes. I'm Irish, so...yeah. Hubby's German, so he's on board with the whole "potatoes at every meal" thing. Okay, not EVERY meal...but a lot of meals. Ha!

Anyway, while I love baked potatoes in the oven, I really like the convenience of baked potatoes in a crockpot. I can stick them in there, then head off to whatever meeting or event we have planned, and when I return - voila! Dinner!

Be creative when you top these - chili, ham & cheese, broccoli & cheese, "loaded" - cheese, sour cream, bacon, chives, left over salmon and sauce...whatever!!!

Baked Potatoes in a Crockpot

Russet potatoes (I would make two per person - if they don't get eaten, you can always make hash the next morning! Keep in mind that if you need to make more than 6 or so, you might need another crockpot)
Olive oil
Salt (I like kosher, but use what you like)

Water

Foil

Scrub your potatoes. Well. Unless you LIKE dirt while you're chewing. Your call. Dry well. Poke the potato with a fork all over (you're giving the steam a place to go - this is a teachable moment for all you homeschoolers!). Rub with a little oil, sprinkle with some salt, and wrap in a piece of foil. Put into your crockpot, pour in about 1/2 cup of water, and cook 4-5 hours on high, 6-8 hours on low. I like to rotate them halfway through cooking (put the ones from the bottom on top and vice versa), but that's because my crockpots have hot spots. When you're ready to eat, pull them out (carefully - there's a reason they call them hot potatoes!), unwrap, and enjoy. 

If you find they're not QUITE ready, remove the foil and microwave for a minute or two. Next time you make them in the crockpot, adjust the time. Different sized potatoes and different crockpots make the timing slightly different for everyone.