Name: Cheesy Potato Tots
Ingredients: 3 1/2 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces; 4 green onions, white and light green portions, thinly sliced; 1 cup sour cream; 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste; 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper; Vegetable oil for frying; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 3 eggs, lightly beaten; 2 cups panko

Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,023 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

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 + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together932 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together8,305 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + cheddar cheesetop 13% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together3,669 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

Flavor stand-ins for the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, cream, cheddar cheese, pepper, flour, egg):

Chivebetter flavor fit
Spinachbetter flavor fit
Capsicumbetter flavor fit
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, cream, cheddar cheese, pepper, flour, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

Cheesy Potato Tots