My best friend couldn't believe how easy this was. Only 3 ingredients for the most flavorful potatoes ever.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the potatoes on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for about 2 to 3 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, lift the lid once or twice and gently stir so the butter and onion coating redistributes and the potatoes cook and brown evenly along the edges.

Once the potatoes are fork-tender and coated in a rich, dark, glossy onion-butter sauce, turn off the slow cooker. Give them one last gentle stir to pick up any flavorful bits from the bottom of the crock. Spoon the potatoes onto a white plate or serving dish, letting the caramelized onion butter drizzle over the top, and serve hot.

If you like a little extra color and texture, leave the red potato skins on, as written, and let some pieces rest against the edges of the slow cooker so they deepen in color and pick up more of that dark onion coating. For a saltier, more robust flavor, you can use salted butter instead of unsalted, but taste before adding any extra salt since the onion soup mix is already seasoned. To stretch the recipe for a bigger crowd, you can add up to another pound of potatoes and an extra half packet of onion soup mix, along with a tablespoon or two more melted butter, keeping the same method. If your slow cooker tends to run hot and you notice the edges browning too quickly, stir a bit more often and switch to LOW. Leftovers reheat nicely in a skillet with just a touch of extra butter, where they’ll crisp on the edges and make a wonderful side for breakfast eggs or grilled sausage. For a slightly different personality while still keeping the spirit of the recipe, you can swap in Yukon Gold potatoes for a creamier texture, or use a beef-flavored onion soup mix for a deeper, roast-like flavor, but keep it to the same three ingredients so it stays simple and true to the original idea.