Name: Potato Croquettes I
Ingredients: 3 med baking potatoes, peeled; & sliced; 1/4 cup (1 oz) shredded low-fat; swiss or cheddar cheese; 1/4 cup nonfat cream cheese product; 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives; 1 tbsp nonfat margarine; 1 1/2 tsp prepared or dijon mustard; 1/4 tsp hot sauce; 1/8 tsp salt; 1 egg white, lightly beaten; 1 3/4 cup coarsely crushed corn flakes; vegetable cooking spray

Why it works: Cheddar cheese and cream cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 467 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

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.

Cheddar cheese + cream cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together467 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Chive + mustardtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together587 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Potato + chivetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together611 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Potato + corntop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together938 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Potato + mustardtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,340 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: Provide the starchy bulk that becomes smooth and holds the croquette shape.
Cheese: Adds richness and flavour, and helps the mixture bind as it softens.
Cream cheese product: Adds creaminess and moisture to the potato mixture.
Egg white: Acts as a binder so the cereal coating sticks to the balls.
Corn flakes: Form a crisp, golden coating that browns in the oven.

The step that matters

Beat the potato until smooth and well combined. Lumps or unevenly mixed cheese and seasoning make the mixture hard to shape and can leave pockets of flavour. Cooking the potato until fully tender lets it mash evenly, which helps the balls hold together.

Swap the mustard

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

Welsh onionfits better
Asparagusfits about as well
Capsicumfits about as well
Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, chive, sauce, egg, corn. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Potato Croquettes I