Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, give the potatoes a gentle stir once or twice so they soak up the buttery ranch from the bottom.
When the potatoes are done, give them one final toss in the melted ranch butter so they’re glistening and speckled with herbs and pepper. Taste and, if desired, add a pinch of salt to your liking. Serve the potatoes hot straight from the slow cooker, spooning some of the buttery juices over the top of each serving.
If you’d like a little extra richness without adding more ingredients, choose salted butter instead of unsalted and skip any added salt at the end; it gives the potatoes a more old-fashioned, savory flavor that tastes like something straight from Grandma’s table. For a slightly different texture, you can lightly smash the potatoes with the back of a spoon in the slow cooker once they’re tender, then stir them into the buttery ranch juices so they soak up even more flavor and get a bit creamy around the edges. If you’re cooking for a crowd, this recipe doubles easily in a large slow cooker; just be sure to stir a few times so every potato gets its share of butter and ranch. To make ahead, you can scrub the potatoes and mix the melted butter with ranch seasoning the night before, then keep both chilled separately; in the morning, add everything to the slow cooker and let it work while you go about your day. Leftovers can be reheated in a covered dish in the oven or crisped in a skillet over medium heat, which gives you buttery ranch home fries that are wonderful with eggs or alongside leftover roast.
