Delicious Potatoes & Mushrooms

Today I want to share with you a dish that I came up with on my own because my husband and I love potatoes and mushrooms.  I am always looking for ways to combine these two winners that we love so much.  I have baked them, fried them, sauteed them, and just about everything else.  I came up with this recipe because it is easy and quick when I am working at home and don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I made it several times before I came up with the version that I consider to be the best.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes (whole small red potatoes cut in half)
  
• Mushrooms (1/2 to 3/4 pound)
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 envelope Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon basil 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)

Directions:

Turn crockpot on high to heat
Drop in the stick of butter to melt
Add dressing mix, garlic, basil, salt and pepper and stir to combine with butter
Add onions and stir gently for a couple minutes
Add potatoes and stir to coat everything
Cover and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally
After 90 minutes, add the mushrooms and stir to coat
Cover again and cook on high for another 90 minutes or until potatoes are soft

Ok, there are a few things I want to tell you about this recipe.  It is one of those fly by the seat of my pants recipe that I have perfected over the years by trying different things.  I
want to give you the benefit of my experiences.  I call these my recipe cliff notes.

Recipe Cliff Notes:

Regarding the potatoes, I prefer the small red potatoes cut in half.  However, you can use any kind of potato you like, but if you use big potatoes, I would cut them in no larger than 2 inch cubes, so they cook faster.  You can peel them if you like, and if you are using big brown skin potatoes with tough skin, it may be a good idea.

Regarding the butter, this recipe is so much better if you use real butter, but you can use margarine, or even olive oil if you prefer.  I made it with olive oil once and it was okay, but butter is so much better!

Regarding the mushrooms, I use the whole white button mushrooms because I like the consistency after they are cooked.  You can use any kind you like and I have even used canned sliced mushrooms, in a pinch, and it was still delicious.  I have also tried putting the mushrooms in the crockpot at the same time as the potatoes, instead of adding them after 90 minutes.  You can do this, but I find that the mushroom are much smaller and darker if you cook them for the whole three hours, and the consistency is not as good as when added at the 90 minutes mark.

Regarding the cooking time, I have a Ninja Cooking System that I use on the crockpot setting.  The insert is metal instead of ceramic like most crockpots, so that may affect the cooking time.  The first time you make this, you should test the potatoes and make note of how many hours it takes to cook the potatoes soft.  It may be different for you in a regular crockpot.

Regarding the ingredients, I make this recipe as a side dish.  If you want, you can make it a one pot meal by tossing in some meat, like sliced smoked sausage, meatballs, or even chopped turkey breast.  If you are not a meat eater, you can make this dish more substantial by adding more vegetables, like sliced peppers and asparagus (add at 90 minutes with mushrooms) or carrots. (cook the whole three hours with the potatoes)

The recipe is about as versatile as they come, so don't be afraid to experiment. 

Have a great rest of the week!

Jade    :)

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This is my Ninja, I use it all the time. 
I wrote a review of it last week if you would like to read it.
Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System Review

To read more about the Ninja on Amazon, click here

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