Why it works: Shallot and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,677 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Potted Meat
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the liver and bacon
Soak the liver in tepid water to remove blood.
Wipe the liver dry.
Cut the bacon into squares.
Make the gravy
Place the bacon in a clean pan with all other ingredients except the liver.
Heat the pan.
Stir until the butter melts and the bacon turns pale brown.
Add the whole liver.
Simmer slowly for 2 to 2½ hours.
Stir occasionally.
Make the paste
Transfer everything to a basin.
Let it cool.
Remove the butter that rises to the top.
Set the butter aside.
Pound the liver into a paste.
Sieve the paste.
Add 1 tablespoon of the liver gravy to the sieved liver.
Add three‑quarters of the reserved butter, melted gently.
Mix well.
Season carefully with salt and pepper.
Pot and seal
Press the mixture into small jars.
Smooth the tops with a knife dipped in hot water.
Pour clarified butter over each jar.
Cover with tissue paper dipped in milk.
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.
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Shallot + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,677 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Shallot + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Liver + buttertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,065 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Calf's liver
- Forms the main body of the paste, giving it its rich, smooth texture once pounded and sieved.
- Raw fat bacon
- Releases fat and savoury flavour into the pan, enriching the gravy that is later mixed into the liver.
- Butter
- Adds richness and carries flavour, and its clarified layer on top helps seal the jars.
- Shallots
- Add a mild savoury aroma and sweetness as they soften in the cooking fat.
The step that matters
Simmer slowly and stir occasionally. Gentle, low heat cooks the liver through evenly without toughening it. Strong heat can make liver dry and grainy, and sticking on the base can scorch the gravy.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (liver, shallot, clove, butter, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Capersfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against liver, shallot, clove, butter, sugar. 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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