Why it works: Potato and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,855 recipes mention both. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Boil and peel
Wash the potatoes.
Boil them in salted water until done.
Drain the potatoes.
Let them cool.
Peel the potatoes.
Cut them into thick slices.
Make the sauce and serve
In a stewpan, combine the butter, pepper, salt, gravy, and parsley.
Add the potatoes to the stewpan.
Gently shake to coat them in the sauce.
Heat until hot throughout.
Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Serve.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Potato + parsleytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,036 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + lemontop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Potato + peppertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8,303 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
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the dish, with a soft, tender interior that absorbs the sauce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, carrying the parsley and pepper flavour through the dish.
- Gravy
- Adds savoury depth and moisture to the sauce that coats the potatoes.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the buttery sauce and balances its richness.
- Parsley
- Contributes fresh, herbal aroma to the buttery sauce.
The step that matters
Gently shake to coat them in the sauce. Potato slices break and turn mushy if stirred or tossed roughly once cooked and soft. A gentle shake coats them evenly while keeping the slices intact.
“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
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.