Why it works: Onion and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,019 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the filling
Cut the cold roast beef or steak into thin slices.
Layer the beef in a pie dish, sprinkling flour, pepper, and salt between layers.
Add chopped tomato or finely chopped onion if available. Continue layering until the dish is filled.
Pour in beef gravy or a little beef drippings and enough water to create gravy.
Top and bake
Boil and mash the potatoes, then mix in milk or cream, butter, and salt.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture as a crust, about 1 inch thick.
Brush the top with beaten egg and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Onion + potatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together9,019 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + potatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,797 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Milk + buttertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Beef + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,091 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + tomatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,445 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cold roast beef or steak
- Provides the meat, which forms the savory body of the filling.
- Flour
- Sprinkled between layers, it thickens the gravy as the pie bakes.
- Potatoes
- Mashed into a soft crust that holds moisture and bakes to a golden top.
- Milk or cream
- Enriches the mashed potato topping, adding softness and richness.
- Butter
- Adds fat to the mashed potato topping for richness and flavor.
- Egg
- Brushed on top, it helps the crust brown and gives a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Spreading the mashed potato crust. The potato layer must cover the filling evenly, about 1 inch thick, so the gravy is sealed in and the top browns well in the oven.
Flavor stand-ins for the tomato
The recipe marks tomato as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, flour, pepper, onion, potato, milk, butter):
- Tomatothe original
- Capsicumabout as good a flavor fit
- Carrotabout as good a flavor fit
- Chiveabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, flour, pepper, onion, potato, milk, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
More beef pie recipes
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.