Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 41,516 recipes mention both. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Potatoes En Casserole
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut French balls from pared, raw potatoes or slice one-fourth inch thick; then cut each slice in half.
Put one-fourth cupful of butter in an earthen casserole and add the potatoes, dusting with a rounding teaspoonful of salt.
Shake the casserole over the fire until each piece is coated with butter and salt; then add one and a half cupfuls of boiling water or clear soup stock.
Bake and finish
Cover the dish and set in a moderate oven.
Occasionally lift the potatoes with a flat bladed knife or spatula to ensure even cooking.
Ensure there is not too much liquid; just enough to keep potatoes moist.
After forty-five minutes, add a half cupful of hot cream, a dusting of pepper, and more salt if necessary.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and pepper share little aroma chemistry, yet 21,449 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes (in the method)
- Form the bulk of the dish and soften into a tender, starchy body as they cook.
- Butter
- Coats the potatoes to add richness and help them brown gently in the casserole.
- Cream
- Added near the end to enrich the dish and add a smooth, creamy texture.
The step that matters
Adding the liquid. Too much liquid makes the potatoes boil and turn soggy, while too little lets them scorch or dry out. Just enough water or stock keeps them moist while they steam gently in the covered dish.
“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.
More potato casserole recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe 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.