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Crispy Baked Spud Halves for Two

Crispy baked potato halves seasoned with lemon, margarine, Parmesan, basil or thyme, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Lemon and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,823 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Crispy Baked Spud Halves for Two

Oven375°F
Time30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Scrub and dry a large baking potato.

  2. Cut the potato in half lengthwise.

Coat

  1. Brush the cut surfaces with a mixture of lemon juice and melted margarine.

  2. Dip the cut surfaces in a mixture of grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled basil or thyme, and a little pepper.

Bake

  1. Bake the cut sides down on a greased heavy baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes until tender, browned, crispy, and flavorful.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

396Calories
15 gProtein
19 gFat
44 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1

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. Lemon + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,823 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,305 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Potato + basiltop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together518 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

What each ingredient does

Baking potato
Its starch turns fluffy and tender inside while the cut surface crisps in the oven.
Parmesan cheese
Melts and browns on the cut surface, adding savoury flavour and a crisp crust.
Melted margarine
Carries fat to the cut surface, helping it brown and crisp in the oven.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and helps the cut surface stay light in colour.

The step that matters

Bake the cut sides down. Placing the cut sides against the hot pan lets the surface brown and crisp, while the flesh cooks through by steam. Turning them up would dry the flesh and leave the coating unevenly browned.

Swap the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lemon, parmesan cheese, basil, pepper):

  1. Tomatofits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Capsicumfits better
  4. Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lemon, parmesan cheese, basil, 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.

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