My Amish neighbor shared this with me after I helped her during harvest season.

To stay true to the three-ingredient spirit that my neighbor emphasized, the base recipe uses only potatoes, butter, and salt. That said, once you’ve made it her way, you can adapt it to your own kitchen. For a subtle onion note, tuck a halved yellow onion (or a few thick slices) under the potatoes at the very bottom, then discard before serving; the flavor will be gentle but present. If you’d like a bit of color, sprinkle a small pinch of dried parsley, chives, or thyme over the finished potatoes—this keeps the cooking method and core ingredients the same while adding a fresh look for the table.

You can also finish with freshly ground black pepper at the table instead of salting more. If your crowd prefers a creamier texture, lightly crush some of the cooked potatoes in the crock with the back of a spoon so they soak up more of the butter, almost like a rustic mash. For a smaller household, halve the recipe but keep the same cooking times, checking early; a less-full slow cooker can cook a bit faster.

Food safety notes: Always scrub potatoes well to remove soil, which can harbor bacteria. Keep the potatoes fully covered and cooking on LOW or HIGH; don’t use the WARM setting to cook them from raw, as it doesn’t bring the food quickly enough into a safe temperature range. Once cooked, don’t leave the slow cooker on the WARM setting for more than about 2 hours at room temperature. Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a shallow container within 2 hours of cooking, then reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before serving again.