Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Irish Stew
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.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bag, combine the mutton, onions, potatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Pour in the water or consommé.
Close the bag and cook for 1 hour and 15 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 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
- Mutton
- Long, moist cooking breaks down connective tissue, making the meat tender and rich.
- Potatoes
- Their starch softens and thickens the cooking liquid, giving the stew body.
- Onions
- They soften and turn sweet as they cook, adding depth to the stew.
The step that matters
Close the bag and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.. A sealed bag traps steam and liquid so the mutton cooks gently in its own juices. An open or poorly sealed bag lets liquid escape, which can leave the meat dry and tough.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, potato, parsley, pepper):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, potato, parsley, 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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