Why it works: Potato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,305 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the potatoes
Peel one dozen potatoes.
Boil them in salted water.
When cooked, place them in a colander over the pot of boiling water from which they were taken.
Steam them until they are dry and mealy.
Make the croquettes
Beat up well some pepper, salt, and milk or cream.
Add four eggs, mixing them with the potatoes while hot.
When nearly cold, form the croquettes.
Beat up three eggs.
Roll the croquettes first in the eggs, and then in stale bread-crumbs.
Fry them in boiling lard for about five minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + eggtop 29% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,978 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they 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
- Form the bulk of the croquettes, and drying them to a mealy texture gives a light interior.
- Eggs
- Bind the mashed potato and, beaten, form a coating that helps crumbs adhere.
- Stale bread-crumbs (in the method)
- Form a crisp, golden outer crust when fried.
- Lard (in the method)
- Conducts heat for frying, browning the outside and crisping the crumb coating.
The step that matters
Steam the potatoes until dry and mealy. Excess moisture in the potatoes makes the mixture soft and hard to shape, and can cause the croquettes to fall apart or fry unevenly. Drying them well lets the mash hold its form and bind with the eggs.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper. 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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