Why it works: Potato and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,855 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Parisienne Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare the potatoes and cut them into balls about 1 inch in diameter, placing them in cold water as you cut.
Drop the balls into salted boiling water until they begin to soften, then drain them.
Lay the potatoes on a clean, dry cloth for a moment.
Fry and serve
Fry the potatoes in hot fat until golden brown, then drain on brown paper.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and salt, and serve hot.
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.
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the crisp golden crust and fluffy interior when fried.
- Fat
- Conducts heat to brown the potato surface and crisp it.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh herbal aroma and bright green colour to the finished potatoes.
The step that matters
Laying the potatoes on a dry cloth before frying. Surface moisture causes hot fat to spatter and steam the potatoes instead of browning them. Drying the balls lets the fat crisp the outside to a golden crust.
“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.
You might also like
The 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.
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipes
Sweet Potato Croquettes53 recipes