You want to know something? When I go to KFC, I never order fried chicken. Instead, I get a bowl. Filled with popcorn chicken, corn, cheese, and gravy, I can enjoy a full homestyle meal without the mess and bones. It never disappoints.

Until about a week ago, I had the thought in my head that these bowls were somehow unique and that I could only order them at KFC. That notion was debunked when my co-worker and friend, Geoff, told me that his family used to make homemade mashed potato bowls for dinner.

Wait…how could you possibly pull that off? I wondered in my head.

But then it kind of dawned on me (with some assurance from Geoff)…it really isn’t that difficult.

There is nothing too entirely special about what KFC does. The “trick” is to take several items and throw them in a bowl. Hey, I can do that!

These were the items we used in our Reser Bowls.

Last night, we made Reser Bowls for the first time. We purchased a family sized Bob Evans mashed potato container, sweet corn, Great Value popcorn chicken, and a big package of shredded cheese. We prepared the items that needed cooking and then we built our bowls. I made a base of corn and cheese and then layered on the mashed potatoes. I then added the popcorn chicken. Finally, I topped it with another layer of corn and cheese.

The first layer of my bowl consisted of corn and cheese.

Before taking that first bite, I sprinkled my bowl with salt and pepper and then dug in! I was so tickled that we were able to make this “out of the norm” dish for dinner. Sidney wasn’t as impressed, but didn’t try to kill my enthusiasm. I ate my bowl, then ate a much smaller bowl, and then ate the rest of Sidney’s bowl.

The finished product…minus the corn and salt/pepper.

The best part? We still had enough ingredients that I was able to make a bowl for lunch today! As is often the case with leftovers, it was even better this afternoon than last night.

I ate a leftover bowl at lunch today.

Looking for something easy and new for dinner? Consider potato bowls. In addition to the simplicity, they are inexpensive (not to mention delicious). Don’t Blink.