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These Slow Cooker glazed herb baby potatoes are tender, glossy, and coated in a buttery honey-herb glaze. They cook while you handle the rest of the meal, and the Slow Cooker keeps them warm for serving. You’re going to love how easy they are.
Why You’ll Love It
- Easy Slow Cooker side — the potatoes cook while you handle the rest of the meal.
- Buttery honey-herb glaze — sweet, savory, and glossy without being syrupy.
- Perfect with grilled food — the light sweetness pairs nicely with salty grilled food and smoky burgers.
- Holds well on WARM — ideal for serving over a longer meal.
- Picky-eater friendly — tender potatoes with familiar, mild flavors.
Ingredient Notes
Use red creamer potatoes, the little round red-skinned ones. Their skins are thin and tender, so there is no peeling involved — praise be. Yukon Gold baby potatoes would probably behave similarly, but the red creamers are what give this that pretty red-and-gold look in the serving bowl.
Unsalted butter lets you control the salt, especially if you’re serving these with brats or heavily seasoned meat. I use real butter here. Margarine has its place, I suppose, though I’m not sure where anymore. Maybe on toast at a motel breakfast.
Honey makes the glaze glossy and gives it that gentle caramelized flavor. Light brown sugar works too when honey is nearly empty. You can stand there squeezing it until your hand cramps, or you can use brown sugar like a sensible person.
For the herbs, any dried Italian seasoning blend is fine. Mine tends to be whatever is in the pantry, usually McCormick, though I’m not loyal enough to write them a love letter. A mix of dried parsley and thyme works beautifully too. Don’t use fresh herbs in the Slow Cooker at the start; they get tired and brown-looking. Save them for the end if you have them.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red creamer potatoes, washed and halved; quarter any unusually large ones so they finish at the same time
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup honey, or packed light brown sugar if that’s what you’ve got
- 2 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend, or a mixture of dried parsley and thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, optional and to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, optional and to taste
Instructions
Rinse the red creamer potatoes under cool water and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Halve them into bite-sized pieces, and quarter any big overachievers so everything cooks evenly. I leave the skins on — not only because they’re tender, but because peeling three pounds of tiny potatoes is how a pleasant afternoon turns ugly.
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, honey or light brown sugar, dried herbs, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until it looks glossy and the herbs are distributed throughout. If your honey is thick and stubborn, warm the butter first and it will loosen right up.
Lightly coat the inside of a 4- to 6-quart Slow Cooker with a little butter or nonstick spray. This is not strictly necessary, but neither is cleaning baked-on honey glaze off a crock later, and I know which one I prefer.
Add the halved potatoes to the slow cooker, then pour the herb-butter glaze all over them. Scrape every last bit from the bowl with a spatula. The herbs always seem to cling to the bottom, and that is where the flavor is hiding.
Gently stir the potatoes until every piece is coated. Arrange them so as many of the flat cut sides as possible are against the bottom or sides of the slow cooker. They won’t get crispy exactly — let’s not tell lies — but those cut sides do get especially glossy and lightly caramelized.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart. About halfway through, give them one gentle stir. Don’t keep opening the lid every twenty minutes to check on them. I have done this, and then wondered why dinner took forever. The slow cooker is not a television show; it does not need an audience.
When the potatoes are tender, remove the lid and stir carefully. Let them sit on WARM, or on LOW with the lid slightly vented, for another 10 to 15 minutes so the glaze thickens and clings to the potatoes.
Taste one potato and add more salt or pepper if it needs it. If you want a thicker, stickier glaze, spoon a little of the cooking liquid into a small bowl, let it cool slightly, stir in another teaspoon or two of honey, then drizzle it back over the potatoes.
Transfer the potatoes to a white platter or shallow serving bowl, spooning some of that buttery herb glaze over the top. Serve warm before the potatoes disappear.
Variations
Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley or chives right before serving, which does make them look very fresh and lovely. One to two tablespoons is plenty.
For a less peppery version, leave out the black pepper and use parsley as the main herb. You can also reduce the honey a little for a less sweet batch, then put extra butter and salt on the table for serving.
A cheesy version is good when you want these to lean more toward comfort food than cookout side dish: sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup shredded Parmesan or mild cheddar over the tender potatoes, cover them, and leave them on WARM for 5 to 10 minutes until melted. Sharp cheddar can bulldoze right over the herbs. Not bad, just not the point.
Garlic is nice too — add 2 to 3 teaspoons garlic powder or 4 to 5 minced fresh garlic cloves to the glaze. If using fresh garlic, keep the potatoes on LOW or WARM after they’re tender so it doesn’t scorch. Burnt garlic can ruin a perfectly good mood.
If you want browned edges, spread the cooked potatoes on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil them for 3 to 5 minutes, watching every second. Then spoon the glaze over them again.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. They’re not quite as glossy after chilling, but they still taste darn good.
For reheating, warm them until they reach 165°F. The microwave is fine for a single serving, covered loosely so they don’t dry out. For a larger amount, I put them in a covered baking dish with a spoonful of water or a little extra butter and heat gently. You can also return them to the slow cooker on LOW, though that takes longer than people expect.
Don’t leave them sitting out more than 2 hours — or 1 hour on one of those blazing hot afternoons when the patio furniture feels like it could fry an egg. Wash and halve the potatoes a day ahead if you want, and mix the glaze ahead too, but store them separately in the refrigerator until cooking time.
Final Notes
These potatoes are an easy, comforting side for backyard meals and casual dinners. A warm bowl of buttery potatoes on the table makes a meal feel a little more special.
And sometimes that’s plenty. Or at least it’s something.
Slow Cooker Glazed Herb Baby Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red creamer potatoes washed and halved; quarter any unusually large ones
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup honey or packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend or a mixture of dried parsley and thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt optional and to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper optional and to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the red creamer potatoes under cool water and pat them dry. Halve them into bite-sized pieces, and quarter any unusually large potatoes so everything cooks evenly; leave the skins on.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, honey or light brown sugar, dried herbs, kosher salt, and black pepper until glossy and evenly combined.
- Lightly coat the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a little butter or nonstick spray.
- Add the potatoes to the slow cooker, pour the herb-butter glaze over them, and scrape all the glaze from the bowl.
- Gently stir until every piece is coated, then arrange the potatoes so as many flat cut sides as possible are against the bottom or sides of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart. Give them one gentle stir about halfway through cooking.
- When the potatoes are tender, remove the lid and stir carefully. Let them sit on WARM, or on LOW with the lid slightly vented, for another 10 to 15 minutes so the glaze thickens and clings to the potatoes.
- Taste one potato and add more salt or pepper if needed. For a thicker glaze, cool a little cooking liquid, stir in another teaspoon or two of honey, and drizzle it back over the potatoes.
- Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter or shallow bowl, spoon some of the buttery herb glaze over the top, and serve warm.