Why it works: Egg and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,978 recipes. Both carry (e)-2-octenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Potato Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Beat the eggs with an egg beater.
Mix the beaten eggs with the mashed potatoes.
Shape the mixture into balls.
Fry and serve
Fry the balls in hot fat until golden brown.
Serve with bacon, fish, or sausage for breakfast.
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.
-
Egg + potatotop 29% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,978 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the potato mixture so the balls hold their shape while frying.
- Mashed potatoes
- Form the main body of the balls, giving a soft, moist interior.
The step that matters
Frying the balls in hot fat. If the fat is not hot enough, the balls absorb grease and turn heavy and oily instead of forming a crisp, golden crust. Hot fat sears the outside quickly, which also helps the balls keep their shape.
“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 potato balls recipes
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipes
Sweet Potato Croquettes53 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.