Why it works: Pepper and sweet potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,015 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
4 to 8 slicesIngredients
Contains: egg, milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped sweet potato and ½ teaspoon of the sea salt, then cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes until browned and tender.
Add the chopped red bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until the pepper softens.
Stir in the ground cumin, smoked paprika and rinsed black beans and cook for 1 minute. Spread the mixture evenly in the skillet.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt, black pepper and the chopped cilantro if using. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and beans, then scatter the crumbled feta on top.
Cook on the stovetop for 2 minutes until the edges begin to set. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the center is set and reaches 160°F (71°C).
Let the frittata rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 4 to 8 slices. Top with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, jarred salsa verde, hot sauce and pickled jalapeños if using.
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.
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Pepper + sweet potatotop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Cumin + beanstop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,188 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Sweet potato + beanstop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together165 recipes
Shared aroma: damascenone (apple, rose).
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Garlic + cumintop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Garlic + olivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, pepper, sweet potato, olive, cumin, beans):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
- Turmericbetter flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, pepper, sweet potato, olive, cumin, beans. 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).
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