Why it works: Celery and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Mix the ingredients in the order given and beat the mixture thoroughly.
Spread the mixture on a plate to cool.
Coat and fry
Shape the mixture into croquettes.
Dip the croquettes in breadcrumbs.
Dip the croquettes in egg.
Dip the croquettes again in breadcrumbs.
Fry the croquettes in deep hot fat until golden brown.
Drain the croquettes on brown paper.
Serve
Arrange the croquettes in a pyramid on a folded napkin and garnish with parsley.
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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Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 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
- Riced potatoes
- Form the bulk of the croquette and give a soft, fluffy interior when shaped and fried.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, softening the mixture and improving its flavour.
- Egg yolk
- Binds the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape while cooking.
The step that matters
Cooling the mixture before shaping. A warm, soft mixture is too loose to shape and may split or collapse in the hot fat. Spreading it out to cool firms it enough to hold its form.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, celery, butter, pepper, onion, egg, parsley):
- Thymefits better
- Dillfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, celery, butter, pepper, onion, egg, parsley. 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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