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 ↓
Potato Pot
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Slice the bacon and cut the beef into small pieces, then brown them in a frying pan over medium heat.
Peel and slice the onions, then brown them with the meat.
Peel and quarter the potatoes and soak them in cold water.
Assemble and make the gravy
Once the meat and onions are browned, layer them with the potatoes in a deep baking dish.
Make a pint of gravy by adding boiling water and seasonings to the drippings in the frying pan.
Thicken the gravy with flour dissolved in a little cold water.
Pour the gravy over the meat and potatoes.
Bake and serve
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about an hour.
Serve hot, using a clean dish if serving from the baking dish.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + beeftop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Potato + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Onion + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the casserole and soften into the dish as it bakes.
- Neck of beef
- Provides the main meaty flavour and substance of the casserole.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and savoury flavour to the browned meat and drippings used for the gravy.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they brown with the meat.
- Flour
- Thickens the gravy so it coats the meat and potatoes.
The step that matters
Thickening the gravy with flour dissolved in cold water. Flour added directly to hot liquid forms lumps, so it must first be dispersed in cold water. Starch then swells as the gravy heats, giving a smooth, thick sauce.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, beef, flour):
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits about as well
- Onionthe original
- Okrafits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, beef, flour. 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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