Name: Southwest Potato Frittata
Ingredients: 2/3 lbs (2 medium) potatoes; -- cut into ¼-inch slices; 1 can whole kernel corn, drained; -- (8 ¾ ounces); 1 can diced mild green chiles; -- (4 ounces); 1 can sliced ripe olives, drained; -- (2 ¼ ounce can); 1 jar sliced pimientos; -- (2 ounces), drained; 3 green onions, sliced; 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley; 8 eggs, or...; 2 cup -egg substitute; 2 tbsp water; pepper, to taste; 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. 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.

Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,855 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Potato + corntop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together938 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,649 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set into a custard that binds the potatoes and vegetables together.
Potatoes: Form the sturdy base that holds the frittata's body and browns in the skillet.
Parmesan cheese: Melts and browns under the broiler, adding savoury flavour and a golden top.
Green chiles: Add mild heat and moisture to the egg mixture.

The step that matters

Broil for 1 to 3 minutes, watching closely. Egg proteins set quickly under high heat, and the cheese can scorch. Close watching lets the top firm and brown evenly without overcooking the eggs into a rubbery texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, corn, olive, parsley, egg, pepper, parmesan cheese):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, corn, olive, parsley, egg, pepper, parmesan cheese. 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
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Egg Substitute	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Water	not in our table	0

Southwest Potato Frittata