Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Creamed Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Cut cold boiled potatoes that are a little underdone into dice or into slices one eighth of an inch thick.
Put them in a saucepan with enough milk or cream to cover them, and cook until the potatoes have absorbed nearly all the milk.
Then to every two cupfuls of potato add one tablespoonful of butter, one half teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, and, just before serving, a teaspoonful of parsley chopped very fine.
Or a white sauce may be made, using cream, if convenient, and the potatoes placed in it just long enough to heat them.
Or a cream sauce may be poured over hot boiled potatoes.
Then sprinkle with parsley.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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 body of the dish; they soak up the milk and become soft and creamy.
- Milk or cream (in the method)
- Liquid that the potatoes absorb, giving a moist, creamy texture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, fatty mouthfeel to the potatoes.
The step that matters
Cooking the potatoes in milk or cream. Cook until the potatoes have absorbed nearly all the liquid. Stopping early leaves a soupy dish, while cooking too long can scorch the milk on the bottom of the pan and make the potatoes break down.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, parsley):
- Carrotfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, parsley. 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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