Name: French Canadian Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients: 8 medium fresh whole white potatoes; 2 lbs ground beef; 1 small yellow or Spanish onion , chopped; 1 small green bell pepper (optional), chopped; 1 can (15 oz ) whole kernel corn , drained, or creamed sweet corn with sauce; 2 tbsp butter; ½ cup milk; Salt; 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 ↓

French Canadian Shepherd's Pie

Oven400°F

Timeapproximately 30 minutes

Ingredients

8 medium fresh whole white potatoes
2 lbs ground beef
1 small yellow or Spanish onion , chopped
1 small green bell pepper (optional), chopped
1 can (15 oz ) whole kernel corn , drained, or creamed sweet corn with sauce
2 tbsp butter
½ cup milk
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Prepare the potatoes

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until soft, then drain.
Mash potatoes, adding 2 tbsp butter and just enough milk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Set aside.

Make the beef layer

Brown ground beef with onions and peppers. Drain fat.
Put ground beef mixture in bottom of casserole dish.
Mix creamed corn and whole kernel corn, then spread over beef.

Bake and serve

Spread mashed potatoes across the top to form a crust.
Lightly sprinkle with paprika, salt, pepper to taste, and make tracks with a fork if desired.
Bake uncovered at 400°F until potatoes are golden brown (approximately 30 minutes).
Serve hot with sliced chilled pickled beets.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

820Calories

44 gProtein

36 gFat

84 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Sauce	not in our table	0

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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together938 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Potato + beeftop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,052 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

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

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Form the starchy mashed topping that becomes a golden crust when baked.
Ground beef: Provides the savory, browned meat base layer of the casserole.
Butter: Adds richness and fat to the mash for a smoother, softer texture.
Milk: Moistens the mashed potatoes so they spread easily and stay creamy.
Corn: Adds sweetness and pops of texture to the middle layer.
Onion: Adds savory aroma and sweetness as it cooks with the beef.

The step that matters

Drain the fat after browning the beef. Excess rendered fat left in the pan would pool in the casserole, making the layers greasy and loose rather than cleanly stacked.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, beef, pepper, corn, butter, milk):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Carrotfits about as well
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, beef, pepper, corn, butter, milk. 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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French Canadian Shepherd's Pie