To Hash Ducks

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.

1. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,066 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Port wine + buttertop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,499 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

4. Port wine + mustardtop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together314 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Port wine + flourtop 21% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,167 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Duck

Provides the main protein and meaty texture of the hash.

Flour

Thickens the sauce so it clings to the duck rather than running off.

Butter

Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the sauce.

Port wine

Adds sweetness and depth to the sauce as it reduces with the gravy.

The step that matters

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (port wine, butter, flour):

1. Shallotfits better
2. Leekfits better
3. Arrowrootfits better
4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against port wine, butter, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.