Name: Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Garlic
Ingredients: 6 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch; pieces; 2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste; 3/4 lb. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 3 1/2 cups half-and-half; 2 Tbs. roasted garlic puree; Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Why it works: Potato and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,517 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Garlic

Ingredients

6 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch
pieces
2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
3/4 lb. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 Tbs. roasted garlic puree
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

214Calories

8 gProtein

4 gFat

40 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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 + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,517 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked 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

Swap the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, pepper):

Spinachfits better
Broccolifits better
Eggplantfits better
Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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