Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Cornish Meat Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the filling
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually add the brown stock, stirring until thickened.
Add the cooked meat, potatoes, onion, salt, and pepper to the sauce.
Assemble and bake
Line individual pie plates with pastry.
Fill each with the meat mixture, then fold the pastry over and press the edges to seal.
Prick the top crust or cut small gashes for steam to escape.
Brush the crust with milk and bake at 400°F (200°C) until golden 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.
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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Enriches the sauce with fat and adds a rich flavour as it melts.
- Flour
- Thickens the stock into a sauce as it cooks with the butter.
- Brown stock
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce and gives the filling its savoury flavour.
- Cooked meat
- Provides the main filling and its savoury, meaty flavour.
- Boiled potatoes
- Adds bulk and soft body to the filling, absorbing some of the sauce.
The step that matters
Thickening the stock. Adding stock too fast or without stirring lets flour clump and leaves lumps. Stirring while adding the stock gives a smooth, evenly thickened sauce that holds the filling together.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, butter, flour, potato, pepper, onion):
- Thymefits better
- Garlicfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, butter, flour, potato, pepper, onion. 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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