Name: Potato, Bramley Apple, Herb and Tuna Frittata
Ingredients: Serves: 2 – 4, approx £0.80 per portion; Preparation time: 5 minutes; Cooking time: 15 minutes; 2 tbsp olive oil,; 1 large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped,; 225g cooked potatoes, small cubes,; ½ small onion, chopped very finely,; 2 x 185g cans tuna, drained,; 4 large eggs,; 2 tbsp of cold milk,; 1 tsp dried oregano,; 50g mature Cheddar, grated; salt and freshly milled black pepper

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 ↓

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 pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Olive + oreganotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,443 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Oregano + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,449 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Olive + potatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,458 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set and bind the mixture, giving the frittata its structure as they cook.
Potatoes: Add body and a firm, starchy bite that holds the wedges together.
Tuna: Supplies the main protein and savoury flavour throughout the frittata.
Mature cheddar: Melts and browns on top while adding rich, savoury flavour.
Bramley apple: Softens to add gentle sweetness and acidity that balances the savoury tuna.

The step that matters

Setting the egg mixture under the heat. Eggs turn from liquid to set only within a narrow temperature range. Cooking too hard or too long makes them rubbery and dry, so pour the mixture over evenly and watch it closely until just set.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, potato, onion, egg, milk, oregano, pepper):

Lemonfits better
Avocadofits better
Limefits better
Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, potato, onion, egg, milk, oregano, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Potato, Bramley Apple, Herb and Tuna Frittata