Why it works: Potato and basil work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 518 recipes mention both. Both carry myrcene, which smells balsamic, herbaceous. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Scrub the potatoes and place them in a pot with a pinch of the sea salt and enough cold water to cover by about an inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the centers.
Drain the potatoes well and return them to the warm pot.
Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over the hot potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining sea salt, tossing gently to coat.
Add the thinly sliced mint and basil and toss once more so the herbs wilt slightly from the heat.
Serve the potatoes warm.
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 + basiltop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together518 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
-
Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,868 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Mint + basiltop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together393 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Potato + olivetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,688 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Olive + minttop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,054 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The 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.