Why it works: Mustard and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,339 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Make the mustard
Mix the dry ingredients together and sift into a heavy bottomed kettle.
Add the cream and mix well.
Heat over a medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly until it bubbles and starts to thicken.
Take the pan off the heat and add at least a tablespoon of vinegar.
Add more vinegar if desired for a thinner consistency.
Do not let the sauce boil because the starch will thicken and become like glue.
Bottle and store
Put the mustard in a bottle while warm.
Keep the mustard in the refrigerator.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Mustard + potatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,339 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + corntop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together938 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + creamtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together43,437 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Mustard + apple cider vinegartop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together254 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + apple cider vinegartop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together455 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dry mustard
- Provides the sharp, pungent flavour that defines the mustard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the mustard.
- Potato starch
- Thickens the mixture as it heats, giving it a smooth, spreadable body.
- Cream
- Adds fat and richness, softening the mustard's heat.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavour and thins the consistency to taste.
The step that matters
Do not let the sauce boil. Starch keeps thickening as it heats and can turn gluey if it boils hard. Stirring constantly over medium heat and stopping once it bubbles and thickens keeps the texture smooth.
Flavor stand-ins for the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mustard, sugar, corn, cream, apple cider vinegar):
- Capsicumabout as good a flavor fit
- Potatothe original
- Broccoliabout as good a flavor fit
- Beetrootabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against mustard, sugar, corn, cream, apple cider vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.