Have a hankering for creamy mashed potatoes and gravy? Need a quick side for a big meal and want one less thing to deal with? Here are some places in Houston that will pack up a quart container of mashed potatoes and gravy to go. Of course, if you're just feeding yourself, you can always dine in as well.
Here's a truism: If there's fried chicken or chicken fried steak, you will almost certainly find good mashed potatoes, too. Remember, the most important thing to do with take-out mashed potatoes is to remove them from the container, put them in a nice bowl and pretend you totally made them yourself. However, if you get asked for the recipe, you're hosed, so play at your own risk.
Get plenty so there’s some mashed potatoes left over the next day. There's a lot that can be done with them. Roll them into croquettes and deep-fry them. Put them into an oven-safe pan, cover with cheese and chives and bake them. Easiest of all, form the potatoes into patties and fry them for low-rent potato pancakes.
Funky Chicken, 181 Heights
The Heights-area fried chicken place is not only convenient for parking but offers its sides to go as well. Chef Greg Lowry says the mashed potatoes are made with red bliss potatoes, cream and parsley and simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The gravy begins with a light roux base that then gets additions of chicken stock, milk, garlic and onion. A large mashed potatoes is $5.99.
Hickory Hollow, Two locations: 8038 Fallbrook and 101 Heights
Hickory Hollow has been serving comfort food to Houstonians since 1977 and is a viable option for mashed potatoes to go. A quart is $8.99 and serves eight people who don’t go back for seconds. (Yeah, as if that’s likely.)
Lee’s Fried Chicken & Donuts, 601 Heights
The newest fried chicken spot in The Heights mashes russet potatoes with sour cream, butter, salt and pepper. You can opt for bacon jalapeño cream gravy on the side. (Really, unless you're vegetarian, why would you not?) They only sell in eight-ounce containers, but four of them will set you back only $11.80 plus tax. If you end up grabbing a delicious birthday cake doughnut to go while you’re there, don’t blame us for your lack of will power, and we won’t fault you for your good taste.
Luby’s, Various Locations
There are people with serious Luby’s addictions, and it’s okay to not understand and to just accept them for who they are. Maybe it’s the mashed potatoes and gravy. There’s an online ordering system, which makes it really convenient to just order a few things and not go through the line or wait long in the restaurants. Go to
the store locator to pick the one closest to you, and get going. A quick check of one Houston-area store indicates that a quart of mashed potatoes is $8.99.
Popeye’s, Various Locations
Yeah, I said it. If you can resist a quart of Popeye’s mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy, you’re a stronger person than I am. A pint-size costs around $4.39. (Prices may vary by location.) If you happen to pick up a box of spicy fried chicken while you’re at it, who’s going to blame you? That sounds like ingredients for a picnic or a good movie night at home. By the way, we found
this copycat recipe for that famous gravy online. You’re welcome.
Punk’s Simple Southern Food, 5212 Morningside
Looking for mashed potatoes with an interesting little bite to them? Try the horseradish mash at Punk’s Simple Southern Food. It’s $7 for a pint. Choose either brown gravy or — the most popular customer request, according to chef Brandi Key — white gravy enhanced with andouille sausage.
Southern Goods, 632 West 19th
Looking for some special sides? You definitely need to check with Southern Goods about its caramelized mashed potatoes. Chef Lyle Bento says, “We let the mashed potatoes brown in the pan, mix them up and then brown them some more. We do sides to go and can do them in any size.” The cost is $5 for single servings $10 for a quart.
Treebeard’s (Various Locations)
The homey mash, made with skin-on red creamers, has been a Houston favorite for years. A quart is $9, and the gravy (Treebeard's has only white, not brown) is $3 for a pint or $6.50 for a whole quart.
What are you waiting for? Go get some taters, precious!
