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 ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the croquette mixture
Mash 2 pounds of cold potatoes through a sieve into a plate.
In a saucepan, heat the milk and butter until hot, then stir in the sifted potatoes.
Remove the saucepan from heat and mix in the yolks of 2 eggs, chopped parsley, pepper, and salt.
Let the mixture cool completely, then shape it into balls or croquettes.
Coat and fry
Dip each croquette in egg and coat with bread crumbs.
Fry in boiling oil until golden brown.
Serve with fried 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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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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
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the filling, and their starch sets as they cool to hold the shape.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, softening the potato mash so it stays smooth and tender.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the mixture, while the beaten egg helps bread crumbs stick.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp outer coating that browns when fried.
- Milk
- Loosens the potato mash and adds moisture for a softer interior.
The step that matters
Let the mixture cool completely before shaping. Warm potato mash is soft and sticky, so it deforms and breaks open. As it cools, its starch firms up and holds the shape through coating and frying.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, milk, egg, bread, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Cinnamonfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, milk, egg, bread, 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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