Why it works: Potato and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,611 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓
White Potato Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, combine mashed potatoes, milk, and beaten egg yolks. Mix in sugar and lemon juice and rind.
Pour the mixture into a deep pie dish lined with pie crust.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Top with meringue and brown
In another bowl, beat egg whites until light.
Gradually add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff.
Spread the meringue over the pie and return to the oven for a few moments to brown.
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.
-
Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Potato + lemontop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mashed potatoes
- Provide the body and starchy bulk that thickens the filling.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and bind the filling so it sets into a soft custard.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff meringue that forms the light, browned topping.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the filling become smooth and custard-like.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps the custard set with a tender texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Stabilizes the whipped egg whites into a glossy, stable meringue.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until stiff. Egg whites must be whipped until they hold firm peaks, with sugar added gradually, so the meringue stays stable and airy. Under-beaten or oily whites will weep or flatten on the pie.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, sugar, lemon):
- Asparagusfits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, sugar, lemon. 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.
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Deep-Fried Potato Balls119 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.