There’s not too much to say about simple side dishes — either they’re good or not. Things like mashed potatoes and green beans have only one main ingredient, along with whatever seasoning is added. The quality of that main ingredient is important. As long as you have that, seasoning is then a matter of personal taste.
After much prodding from yours truly, KFC admitted they use canned green beans, and their mashed potatoes are made from the ‘instant’ type. These are not the type of facts that companies are eager to share, but I was not trying to start trouble, I was just doing research. That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with frozen, canned, dehydrated or freeze dried products in my opinion. Everybody in the industry uses them in some form or another. No, of course it’s not as good as farmers delivering fresh vegetables to the stores each day, but packaging and delivery methods have advanced over the years, and we’ve got better choices than ever before.
Like anything else, there is difference in Quality among these type of products, and I’ve found the foods that KFC uses to be on the higher side of the quality scale. The green beans, and to a slightly lesser extent, these mashed potatoes, or “whipped” as they are called, are good examples. They are light and airy, with a good solid potato flavor, a smooth texture and a small buttery kick. As with the other sides on their menu, KFC adds their own special seasoning to improve the taste. The potatoes are whipped fresh in the store several times a day, using instant potato flakes. That might seem like an oxymoron, “fresh” and “instant” used together. The point is huge batches of potatoes are not sitting around; fresh batches are made throughout the day.
They are topped with a thick brown gravy. I say thick, but depending on the store, and who’s working, the gravy does tend to vary. When it’s right, it’s good gravy. It doesn’t have a particularly strong flavor, but it does add a little something extra. A faint, light, not quite, but almost smokey beef presence. But despite the dark color, there are no beef products involved. There are two recipes for the gravy, depending on what part of the country you live. Wheat flour, corn/food starch, soybean oil and spices top the list, with the alternate recipe adding chicken fat and dehydrated cooked chicken.
Together they make a great dipping source for KFC’s buttermilk biscuits. I must admit, I’ve been a fan of the starchy combination of biscuits and bread dipped into potatoes and gravy since I was a kid, so your satisfaction and enjoyment may differ.
The Whipped Potatoes from KFC are good, and definitely a worthy side to go with your next chicken dinner, but they fall a bit short of the biscuits and green beans. I want to mention the side dishes at KFC have been very enjoyable overall, and a person could easily make a meal out of them alone, without even having any chicken.
Price: $1.39 — Website: KFC.com
Fast Food Critic Score: B-
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Nutrition Facts - KFC, Whipped Potatoes with Gravy.
Calories - 140
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 5 grams
Carbs - 20 grams
Saturated Fat - 1 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 0 milligrams
Sodium - 560 milligrams
I like Arby’s but I’m not a fan of this particular side item. These deep fried triangles of potato look tasty enough at first glance, but it turns out they are very bland and unsatisfying. They taste like baked potato topping, without the potato. That doesn’t make sense, but that’s the problem. The potato filling lacks flavor, and the cheese and bacon that are supposed to compliment it aren’t able to fulfill their end of the bargain. Even the breading was a let down, failing to live up to it’s attractive outward appearance. The bacon pieces are OK when you get one. The cheese is not very tasty or cheesy, and it seems the amount of each ingredient is just enough to ensure that nothing stands out and everything blends together to create — bland mashed potatoes stuffed inside a pretty shell. I was ready to love these, but I am completely underwhelmed and unimpressed. I can’t see myself ordering them again, or having the desire to eat more. That’s the bottom line.