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 ↓
Savoury Potatoes, Stuffed
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
In a bowl, mix the butter, cream, parsley, egg yolks, pepper, and salt.
Butter scallop shells and dust them with fine bread crumbs.
Fill the shells with the potato mixture and smooth the top with a knife.
Brush the tops with oiled butter and sprinkle with white bread crumbs and grated cheese.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
Serve the shells on a dish with a folded napkin and offer a piquant or poivrade sauce on the side.
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream, egg, pepper, bread, cheese):
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Tarragonfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream, egg, pepper, bread, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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