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
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, egg yolks, salt, and pepper.
Mold the mixture into cone shapes, leaving a small hollow on top of each.
Bake and serve
Place the croquettes in a greased pan and bake until brown.
Two minutes before removing, add a little beaten egg white into the hollow on top.
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.
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.
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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
- Mashed potatoes
- Provides the bulk and soft, moist interior of the croquettes.
- Egg yolks
- Bind the potato mixture so the cones hold their shape while baking.
- Egg whites
- Brush into the hollow on top, where they set and brown for a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Mold the cones with a hollow on top. The mixture is soft and must hold its shape in the oven. Pressing it firmly and leaving the hollow gives the egg white a place to pool and set into a golden crown.
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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