Prep: This recipe works best in a 4 quart slow cooker; 5 quart is fine as well. Get your ingredients ready.

Get the potatoes ready: Peel your potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Do this right before you put them in the pot, otherwise, they’ll start to turn brown.

Slow cook: Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Give them a stir maybe twice during that time – it helps them cook evenly and keeps the color looking nice. Just be quick so you don’t let all the heat out.

Warm the milk: When the potatoes are almost cooked, put your milk, butter, and seasonings in a small saucepan. Heat it until the butter is melted and the milk is just starting to steam. Set aside.

Mash: Mash the steaming hot potatoes WITHOUT adding the milk with a hand masher (make sure you use one that won’t scratch your crock!) Note: Whatever you do, don’t use a hand mixer. I tried that once and ended up with a bowl of edible glue.

The finish: Slowly stir in that hot milk and butter mixture while you mash until they’re as creamy as you like them. Add more warmed milk, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed to reach your preferred texture.

Serve: Toss some chives on top if you’re feeling fancy, otherwise just put a big pat of butter on there and call it a day. You can keep these on the WARM setting for up to an hour.