Why it works: Pork and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,668 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Afelia I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut pork into approximately 3 cm (1‑inch) pieces, leaving some fat on the meat as this is desirable.
Heat half the butter in a heavy‑based pan and brown the potatoes.
Remove the potatoes and keep them aside.
Brown and simmer
Add the remaining butter and brown the pork on each side, then push it to the side of the pan.
Trim and clean the mushrooms and fry them quickly in the pan next to the meat. Stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to low.
Pour in the wine, add salt and pepper to taste, and place the potatoes on top.
Sprinkle with coriander seeds, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until the pork and potatoes are tender.
Serve
Serve with a tossed green salad.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | 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.
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.
-
Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,668 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Pepper + coriandertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,949 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Potato + coriandertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,213 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
-
Pork + mushroomtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pork fillet
- Browning builds flavour on the meat, and the fat left on helps keep it moist as it simmers.
- Red wine
- Liquid that simmers with the meat and potatoes, adding acidity and deep flavour to the sauce.
- New potatoes
- Starchy body that becomes tender in the simmering liquid and soaks up the wine and juices.
- Small mushrooms
- Fry quickly beside the meat to add savoury, earthy flavour and browning.
- Butter
- Fat for browning the potatoes and pork, adding richness and golden colour.
The step that matters
Browning the pork and potatoes. Browning creates deep, savoury flavour through the Maillard reaction. Crowding the pan or skipping the heat causes steaming, leaving the meat and potatoes pale and bland.
Swap the coriander
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, butter, potato, mushroom, red wine, pepper):
- Thymefits better
- Rosemaryfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Corianderthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, butter, potato, mushroom, red wine, pepper. 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.
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.