Why it works: Tomato and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,798 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
A Beef Pie
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.
Assemble the filling
Layer thin slices of cold roast beef or steak in a pie dish.
Sprinkle a little flour and coarse sea salt over the beef.
Add chopped tomato or onion, then layer more beef on top.
If available, pour in beef gravy; otherwise, add enough water to create a little gravy.
Make the potato crust
Mash the boiled potatoes and mix in the cream and a little salt.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture, about 1 inch thick.
Bake
Beat the egg and brush it over the potato crust.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes.
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.
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.
-
Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Flour + potatotop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Cold roast beef or steak
- Provides the main body of the pie and the savoury meaty flavour.
- Flour
- Thickens the meat juices and gravy so the filling holds together.
- Boiled potatoes
- Form a soft, mashable topping that becomes a sliceable crust when baked.
- Cream
- Enriches the mashed potato, adding softness and a smoother, richer texture.
- Egg
- Brushed on top, it helps the potato crust brown and gives a glossy finish.
- Tomato or onion
- Adds moisture and a background of sweetness or acidity to the filling.
The step that matters
Spread the mashed potatoes about 1 inch thick. A topping that is too thin can dry out or let the juices bubble through, while a very thick layer may stay raw in the centre. An even layer bakes through and browns evenly.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, flour, potato, cream, egg):
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, flour, potato, cream, egg. 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.
More beef pie recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.