Rinse the baby red potatoes and pat them dry. Leave the skins on for that rustic farmhouse feel. If any potatoes are much larger than the others, cut them in half so they cook evenly.
Place the raw baby red potatoes in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and salt until the salt is evenly distributed. Dollop the sour cream mixture in spoonfuls over and around the potatoes, letting some of it fall down in between the potatoes so you see creamy white dollops among the reds.
Sour cream mixture dolloped over red potatoes in the slow cooker
Scatter the pieces of butter evenly over the top of the potatoes and sour cream dollops.
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.
Once the potatoes are tender, gently stir from the bottom of the slow cooker, coating the potatoes in the buttery, creamy mixture. Some potatoes will break a bit and help thicken the sauce—that’s exactly what you want for that Amish-style, cozy texture.
Cooked potatoes being stirred into a creamy buttery sauce
Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Switch the slow cooker to WARM and keep covered until ready to serve. Spoon the potatoes and plenty of the creamy sauce into a serving bowl or serve straight from the crock.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra flavor without adding more than four core ingredients, you can lean on pantry basics you likely have on hand. Add a few grinds of black pepper or a pinch of garlic powder to the sour cream and salt mixture before dolloping it over the potatoes.
If you prefer a tangier, slightly lighter version, swap half of the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt. To make this more of a complete meal, stir in cooked diced ham or crumbled cooked bacon during the last 30 minutes of cooking so it warms through without getting soggy.
Variation with ham and herbs mixed into creamy potatoes
If your family loves cheese, sprinkle shredded cheddar or Colby Jack over the top during the last 10 minutes on HIGH, cover, and let it melt into a cheesy crust. For make-ahead prep, you can rinse and dry the potatoes, cut the butter, and mix the sour cream and salt the night before; store everything in the fridge, then in the morning just toss the potatoes into the slow cooker, add the sour cream dollops and butter, and turn it on before you head out the door.
