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 ↓
Beefsteak in Baking Pan
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the beefsteak into pieces the size of walnuts, about half an inch thick.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices a quarter of an inch thick.
Slice the middling-sized onions.
Mix two teaspoonfuls of salt and one teaspoonful of pepper.
Layer and bake
Lay five or six potato slices on the bottom of the pan and season them.
Add some pieces of beef, season again, then add potatoes and onions, then more beef, layering until the pan is full, with potatoes on top, seasoning each layer.
Pour three quarters of a pint of water into the pan, lock the lid, and bake in the oven (or send to the baker’s) for one hour and a half.
Serve
When done, shake the pot gently so the gravy mixes with the potatoes and onions, forming a thick sauce.
Skirt or any other part of beef is excellent done this way.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beefsteak
- Provides the meat, which becomes tender and flavourful as it slowly cooks in the covered pan.
- Potatoes
- Absorb the gravy and soften as they cook, giving the dish its body.
- Onions
- Soften and turn sweet as they cook, adding flavour to the gravy.
The step that matters
Keep the lid locked during the full bake. The sealed pan traps steam, so the beef braises in its own juices and the potatoes cook through instead of drying out.
“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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