Why it works: Potato and dill work together. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 423 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
New Potatoes with Sour Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and set to boil with 1 cup of water and a little salt, for 10 minutes.
Add butter and sour cream and simmer until the liquid is reduced to half.
Shake the pan every now and then while the potatoes are simmering.
Finish and serve
After the potatoes are done, add chopped dill and bake for 10 minutes.
Arrange on a plate and garnish with green lettuce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Lettuce | 1 cup shredded (36g) | 5 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 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 + dilltop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together423 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Dill + lettucetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together159 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + lettucetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together322 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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, absorbing the sour cream and butter as they cook.
- Sour cream
- Adds tanginess and a creamy texture as the liquid reduces around the potatoes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the sauce a smoother, rounder mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Reducing the liquid. Simmering until the liquid is halved concentrates the sour cream and butter into a thicker sauce. Stopping too early leaves it thin, while overcooking can cause the dairy to separate or catch on the pan.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, dill, cream):
- Chivefits better
- Horseradishfits better
- Onionfits better
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, dill, cream. 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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