Cheater Cheater Garlic Baked Potatoes

I think I've just fallen in love with my slow cooker all over again! I don't know about you, but I have the worst luck with baked potatoes. The last few times I've made them, or had them at other people's houses, they don't get finished cooking until 30 minutes to an hour after the main course. Then you have to microwave them to get them completely cooked in the center. The skins are my favorite part of the potato, and chock full of good nutrients and all that jazz. Microwaving a potato usually makes the skin all crusty and hard, and not in a good way.

Enter crockpot garlic baked potatoes from A Year of Slow Cooking. I opted for cooking the potatoes on high and were fork tender after 2 hours. I then turned the heat setting to low because the rest of the dinner wasn't quite ready. I'm sure that the potatoes would have been fine on high, but I wasn't willing to take the chance of potentially ruining part of our dinner.
Blockette liked these potatoes so much demanded that I make these potatoes again and again. I most definitely will. They were even good as leftovers. I just broke them into rounds and crisped them up in the skillet for a quick and tasty lunch.

Incidentally, MrsThunder, when you came to pick up your munchkin the other day and said, "Mmmm, it smells good in here." It was from these potatoes. The do stink up the house something deeeeelishous.

Crockpot garlic baked potatoes from a Year of Slow Cooking
4 big brown potatoes
2 T melted butter
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
8 or so garlic cloves

Peel the garlic and cut it into long slivers. Wash your potatoes, and pat dry. Carefully cut slits into each potato about 1/2 inch thick almost do the very base. The potato should start to separate a bit like an accordion. Shove as many garlic slices as you can in each slit of each potato. Nestle the potatoes into your crockpot. Liberally salt and pepper. Combine the melted butter with the olive oil and drizzle over the top of each potato, trying to get some in the garlic-filled slits, if you can. Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for about 6. They are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness. Top with sour cream.