Why it works: Mace and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Mutton Sausages
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Chop the mutton extremely small.
Season with pepper, salt, mace, and nutmeg.
Add beef suet, sweet herbs, anchovies, and oysters, all chopped very small.
Mix in grated bread and anchovy liquor.
Incorporate the beaten eggs until well mixed.
Shape and cook
Roll into sausage shapes and fry before serving.
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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Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Oyster + anchovytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together603 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mutton + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,373 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the main meat and savory flavor of the sausage.
- Beef suet
- Adds fat that keeps the sausage moist and tender as it cooks.
- Oysters
- Contribute a briny, savory flavor and soft texture to the filling.
- Grated bread
- Absorbs moisture and helps bind the filling so it holds its shape.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture together and help it set when cooked.
The step that matters
Incorporate the beaten eggs until well mixed. Eggs set when heated and bind the filling. If they are unevenly mixed, pockets may form and the sausages may crumble or cook unevenly.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, beef, pepper, nutmeg, oyster, bread, anchovy):
- Parsleyfits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Celeryfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, beef, pepper, nutmeg, oyster, bread, anchovy. 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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