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Potato Delight

A baked casserole of mashed potatoes, cheeses, prosciutto, and butter, topped with breadcrumbs.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Parmesan cheese and provolone cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 90 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Potato Delight

Oven350
Time35 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the potatoes

  1. In large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling water over medium-low heat until tender; drain.

  2. Cool slightly, then peel and cut in half.

  3. Mash potatoes.

  4. Combine potatoes, melted butter, grated parmesan cheese, egg, egg white, salt and nutmeg in large bowl and mix until smooth.

  5. Set aside.

Assemble the casserole

  1. Sprinkle ½ of bread crumbs in well-buttered 9-inch-round baking dish, then tilt dish to coat.

  2. Spread about ½ of potato mixture on bottom and side of dish.

  3. Combine fontina, provolone and prosciutto in small bowl.

  4. Sprinkle over potato mixture in dish.

  5. Cover with remaining potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs.

  6. Dot with pieces of butter.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35 minutes.

  2. Let stand 5 minutes.

  3. Invert baking dish onto serving plate, tapping gently to remove.

  4. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1131Calories
48 gProtein
43 gFat
136 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Provolone Cheese1 oz (28g)100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Salt1 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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Parmesan cheese + provolone cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together90 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Parmesan cheese + cheesetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,041 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Cheese + provolone cheesetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together72 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,130 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

New potatoes
Form the bulk of the casserole, providing starchy body once cooked and mashed.
Egg and egg white
Bind the mashed potatoes and help the casserole set firmly when baked.
Fontina cheese
Melts into the layers, adding creamy richness and a stretchy, savory filling.
Butter
Adds richness and moisture to the potatoes and helps brown the top.
Prosciutto
Adds salty, savory flavor that contrasts with the mild potatoes and cheese.

The step that matters

Invert the dish onto the serving plate. Potato mixture is soft and only sets as it cools, so letting it stand 5 minutes before inverting helps the casserole hold its shape instead of slumping.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, parmesan cheese, egg, bread, cheese, provolone cheese):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Capersfits about as well
  4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, parmesan cheese, egg, bread, cheese, provolone 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.

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