Why it works: Parsley and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 669 recipes. Both carry p-mentha-1,3,8-triene, which smells camphor, herbal. The science ↓
Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the potatoes
Wash the potatoes.
Scrape or peel the potatoes.
Chop the potatoes.
Cook the potatoes until tender in the oven at 175 °C (about 375 °F) in a covered glassware pot with one-half to one cup of water.
Alternatively, boil or steam the potatoes, or cook them in the microwave.
Make the sauce
Fry the flour in the butter for 3 minutes.
Add the milk and stir until a smooth sauce forms.
Add the cheese and stir until it is completely melted.
Combine and bake
Add the bechamel sauce to the potatoes and mix well.
Cook for another five minutes.
Optionally top with grated cheese and bake it in an open pan until a golden crust forms.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + dilltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together669 recipes
Shared aroma: p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (camphor, herbal).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + dilltop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together423 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + dilltop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the dish and become tender, soft layers under the sauce.
- Butter
- Provides fat and rich flavour, and cooks with the flour to form the sauce base.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and milk into a smooth sauce that coats the potatoes.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid of the sauce, adding creaminess and moisture.
- Cheese
- Melts into the sauce for savoury richness and, if grated on top, browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Stirring the flour and butter into a smooth sauce. Flour must be cooked briefly in fat before and while the milk is added and stirred. Adding milk gradually and stirring keeps lumps from forming, while heating lets the starch thicken the sauce.
Swap the dill
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, flour, milk, pepper, cheese, parsley):
- Thymefits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Dillthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, flour, milk, pepper, cheese, parsley. 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.
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