Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Baked Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat oven to 325 °F and butter a 9 × 13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes.
Drain potatoes, cool, and slice 1/4 inch thick.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook bacon over high heat until lightly browned. Drain bacon, chop, and set aside.
Assemble and bake
Combine the potatoes, cheese, onion, mayonnaise, and salt. Mix well and pour into the prepared baking dish.
Top with bacon and olives, then bake at 325 °F for 1 hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
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.
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + olivetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,458 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 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
- Form the bulk of the salad and provide the starchy body that holds the dish together.
- Bacon
- Adds savory fat and crisp browned flavor to the top and through the dish.
- Processed american cheese
- Melts into the potatoes and mayonnaise, binding the salad into a creamy, cohesive layer.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds moisture and richness, coating the potatoes and keeping the baked salad from drying out.
- Onion
- Contributes sharp aromatic flavor that mellows during baking.
The step that matters
Slice the potatoes evenly after cooking. Cooking until tender but still firm and cooling before slicing keeps the slices intact. Overcooked potatoes break apart and make the baked salad mushy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, cheese, pepper, olive):
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, cheese, pepper, olive. 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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