Why it works: Potato and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,052 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the filling
Beat the eggs very light, then add the sugar.
Mix the butter with the hot potatoes, gradually adding the sugar and eggs.
Add the grated nutmeg.
Bake
Bake in an open pie crust at 350°F (175°C) until set.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,052 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sherry + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,246 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk of the filling and a soft, starchy body that sets as it bakes.
- Eggs
- Bind the filling and help it set firm when baked.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, tender texture to the potato mixture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and adds to its soft, custardy texture.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Eggs set as they are heated, so the filling must be baked until firm. Underbaking leaves it loose and watery in the centre, while overbaking can make it dry and grainy.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg, sherry, nutmeg):
- Sweet potatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Leekfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg, sherry, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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