I didn’t think I needed a new way to eat deep-fried potatoes. KFC proved I was wrong.
It also sold me a whole bucket that I didn’t need.
This week, KFC released a revolutionary innovation in crispy starch science: Mashed Potato Poppers. They’re delicious little clouds of whipped potatoes inside a satisfyingly crunchy coating.
Just don’t make the same mistake I did. You’re going to see ads for a big bucket of stuff that costs $25. You do not need to buy that.
The new Mashed Potato Poppers from KFC.(Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
KFC Mashed Potato Poppers | Review
Here’s where I got confused. KFC has been promoting the new mashed potato munchies as part of its new “Dunk It Bucket.” It’s a tie-in for March Madness.
Get it? Basketball? Dunking?
When you pull into the drive-in, you’re going to see a big advertisement for the $25 Double Dunk It Bucket combo. You don’t need all of that. You don’t even need the four-piece chicken Dunk It Bucket combo meal for $15 (which I was bamboozled into buying).
No, it turns out you can just buy a five-piece order Mashed Potato Poppers for $3.
I can’t believe Colonel Sanders hoodwinked me like this. I haven’t been this hornswoggled by a mascot with a military rank since Cap’n Crunch hooked me on a cereal that routinely wrecks the roof of my mouth.
A peek at the inside of the KFC Mashed Potato Poppoers.(Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
What do they taste like?
The Mashed Potato Poppers fall somewhere between a potato croquette or one of those Smiley Fries you can get in the frozen food section. The interior is light and smooth and carries a flavor that immediately clicks in your brain as “mashed potatoes.”
The fried coating is satisfyingly thin and crunchy. It provides a nice texture without being too heavy. It really sets the whole package up for success.
I want to be clear: These are different from steak fries and tater tots. The starchy filling has specifically been engineered to be smooth and almost buttery — like a batch of mashed potatoes.
There is one oddity that occurs when you get the full Dunk It Bucket. You get a trio of sauce cups. In my case, two of those cups were filled with gravy.
I understand that gravy is a natural dancing partner for mashed potatoes. But it’s a little unnerving to get it in a dipping cup.
It’s one thing if ketchup gets cold. But once that gravy gets cold, I’m not going anywhere near it.
So are they any good?
Absolutely. They’re like little crispy cream puffs filled with mashed potatoes.
The gravy is fine to dunk in. But to be honest, I enjoyed these the most when snacking on them un-dunked.
The final word
The “Dunk It Bucket” promotion really messed with me.
First, I got all confused in the drive-thru. Second, when I ordered a $15 four-piece chicken bucket combo meal, KFC gave me a bunch of sporks for some reason.
I don’t know what the sporks are for. I can’t even cut the chicken with them. I’m I supposed to skewer the Mashed Potato Poppers and dip them.?
What really threw me off was the fact that KFC gave me five sporks for that one menu item when I was clearly ordering it for myself.
Does KFC think I should be splitting that bucket five ways? I feel personally judged by Colonel Sanders.
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“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.
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