Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Potato Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the mashed potatoes, beaten eggs, brandy, and cream. Mix well.
Assemble and bake
Prepare pie crusts and cut the edges nicely.
Fill the pie plates with the mixture.
Bake until set and golden, then let cool before serving.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + potatotop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender, fine texture when creamed with sugar.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps trap air when creamed with butter.
- Potatoes
- Provide body and moisture, giving the pudding a smooth, dense filling.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to give the filling its structure.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor depth to the filling.
The step that matters
Bake until set and golden. Eggs set as they heat, so underbaking leaves the filling runny, while overbaking can make it curdle or dry. Cooling lets the custard firm fully before slicing.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, brandy, cream):
- Sweet potatofits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Chivefits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, brandy, cream. 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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