Why it works: Carrot and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,107 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓
Veal Pot-Pie
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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a skillet, melt butter and brown the veal cubes.
Add mixed vegetables and beef broth; season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Assemble and bake
Pour the mixture into a pie dish and cover with pie crust.
Cut slits in the crust for steam to escape.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
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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Carrot + potatotop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,107 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + peastop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,994 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Potato + beeftop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Peas + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,016 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Provides the main meat, which browns in butter to add savory flavor.
- Mixed vegetables
- Add bulk, sweetness and texture to the filling.
- Pie crust
- Encloses the filling and browns in the oven to form a golden top.
- Beef broth
- Adds liquid and savory depth, and keeps the filling moist while the vegetables cook.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps brown the veal.
The step that matters
Cutting steam slits in the crust. Without vents, steam from the simmering filling builds pressure under the crust, which can lift or split it and make the filling soggy. Slits let steam escape while the crust bakes and browns.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, carrot, potato, beef, butter, pepper):
- Beansfits better
- Peanutfits about as well
- Peasthe original
- Walnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, carrot, potato, beef, butter, pepper. 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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