Slow Cooker Potatoes Au Gratin

It has been feeling more like July than June lately, so I'm still cooking everything in my Crock Pot. The poor thing is starting to feel the wear, too. An hour after I turned these potatoes from high to low I went to check on them and the pot was cold. I panicked, of course, fiddled with the switch, and it came right back on and I had no more troubles. Maybe I just didn't get the knob turned all the way to low or something, but I think I may be in the market for a new pot soon. Two pots would be great anyway! There have been nights when dinner was slow cooking away and I thought, some slow cooker chocolate cake would be awesome right about now. :) These potatoes are easy and relatively quick for a slow cooker recipe. And I haven't even started to describe how freaking amazing they taste!

You will need:

6 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8oz cheese, shredded
3T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (skim is fine)
chopped garlic (optional, but recommended)
salt (not optional)

Wash, peel, and slice your potatoes.  You want them about a medium thickness.  (I ran them through my food processor.)  Grease your slow cooker.  I used 2T of extra butter, but pan spray would work just fine as long as you really coat the pot.  Add one layer of potatoes and salt them.  You can use regular table salt, Kosher salt, or even garlic salt, but do not skimp on the salt or your potatoes will be bland, bland, bland. 

Continue layering and salting until you have used all the potato slices. (You could also add chopped onions to each layer, but my kids don't like them.  Don't add too many, though, because they can overpower the potato flavor.)

When all the potatoes are in the pot, melt the 3T of butter in a large saucepan.

Add the flour and whisk.

Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble up, then cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly.

Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened.  (Add 2T chopped garlic now if you like. It's good!!)

Add the cheese...

and stir until melted. 

Pour over the top of the potatoes.  Don't stir the potatoes, but give them a jiggle to get some of the sauce down into the bottom of the pot. 

Place 2 paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the top. 

Turn the pot on high and leave it for an hour.  You can leave it on high for two more hours or turn it to low for 3-4 hours. 

Time to feast!  These potatoes are sooooo good.  Creamy, cheesy, with a hint of garlic. 

Yummy! Scrumptious!  The perfect comfort food.  They are wonderful the next day, warmed in the microwave, too.  

Enjoy!!