Why it works: Parsley and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,855 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Mix a nice salad dressing of one teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, two tablespoons of finely cut crisped parsley, and grated onion, about two teaspoonsful, with four tablespoons of salad oil or butter. To this add eight tablespoons of vinegar.
Dress and rest
Slice two quarts of cold boiled potatoes. Have these slices not very thin. Pour over the dressing, and let them stand half an hour before serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Salad | 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.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Parsley + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 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
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the salad and soak up the dressing as they rest.
- Salad oil
- Adds fat and smooth richness that carries the flavour of the dressing.
- Vinegar (in the method)
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and brightens the potatoes.
- Onion (in the method)
- Adds a sharp, aromatic bite to the dressing.
The step that matters
Keep the potato slices not very thin. Thin slices break apart and turn mushy when tossed with the dressing. Thicker slices hold their shape while still absorbing the flavour during the half hour of resting.
“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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