Name: Crockpot Pork Chop Potato Dinner
Ingredients: 6 bone-in pork chops (½ inch thick); 1 tbsp. vegetable oil; 30 oz pkg. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed; 1½ cups (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided; 10¾ oz can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted; ½ cup milk; ½ cup sour cream; ½ tsp salt; ⅛ tsp pepper; 1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions, divided

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).
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,668 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Pork + cheddar cheesetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,505 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,047 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork chops: Provide the main protein, which turns tender and juicy during the long, gentle cooking.
Frozen shredded hash brown potatoes: Form the base of the casserole, absorbing moisture and softening as they cook.
Shredded cheddar cheese: Melts over the top to add richness and a savory, creamy layer.
Condensed cream of celery soup: Adds creaminess and savory flavor that binds the potatoes together.
Sour cream: Adds tang and a smooth, rich texture to the sauce.
French-fried onions: Add a crisp, savory topping and a toasty aroma.

The step that matters

Cooking until the meat juices run clear. Pork chops can dry out with overcooking, while undercooked pork is unsafe. Checking that juices run clear, and that the chops reach a safe internal temperature, confirms they are done before serving.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, potato, cheddar cheese, cream, milk, pepper, onion):

Garlicfits better
Celerythe original
Thymefits about as well
Parsleyfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, potato, cheddar cheese, cream, milk, pepper, onion. 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
Pork	100g cooked	242
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Soup	not in our table	0

Crockpot Pork Chop Potato Dinner