Name: Ham and Potato Salad
Ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons chopped white onion; 1 tablespoon prepared mustard; 1 tablespoon milk; ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed; 2 cups cubed cooked ham; 2 cups peeled cubed cooked potatoes; ¼ cup chopped dill pickles

Why it works: Mustard and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 560 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Ham and Potato Salad

Timeat least 2 hours chilling

Ingredients

Directions

Make the salad

Stir mayonnaise, onion, mustard, milk, and dill together in a large bowl.
Add ham, potatoes, and pickles; toss to coat well, then cover.

Chill

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

681Calories

47 gProtein

28 gFat

60 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3

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.

Mustard + dilltop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together560 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Dill + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together423 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,259 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Mustard + potatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,340 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

Mayonnaise: Provides creamy fat and moisture that binds the salad together.
Cooked potatoes: Add starchy bulk and body that holds the dressing and absorbs its flavor.
Cubed cooked ham: Supplies savory, salty meat flavor and chewy texture.
Dill pickles: Add acidity and tang that cut through the richness of the mayonnaise.
Prepared mustard: Adds sharp, pungent flavor that balances the creamy dressing.

The step that matters

Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Resting lets the dressing soak into the potatoes and ham and the flavors meld. Serving too soon leaves the salad tasting flat and the dressing unevenly distributed.

Swap the dill

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, mustard, milk, ham, potato):

Garlicfits better
Capersfits better
Celeryfits better
Dillthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, mustard, milk, ham, potato. 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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Ham and Potato Salad