Why it works: Beef and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,052 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Meat Cakes
6 or 8 portionsIngredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Remove all the fat from the tinned beef.
Chop the meat finely.
Heat the milk or gravy in a saucepan.
Add the meat, mashed potato, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Stir briskly over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
If the mixture is too stiff, add a little more gravy or milk.
Spread the mixture on a plate and let it cool.
Shape and bake
Once cold, divide it into 6 or 8 portions and form into round cakes.
Brush each cake with egg (or a little milk).
Sprinkle each cake with browned breadcrumbs.
Place the cakes in a greased baking tin.
Add small pieces of fat on top of each cake.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
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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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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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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Beef + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,759 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tinned beef
- Provides the main meaty body and flavour of the cakes.
- Mashed potato
- Adds bulk and softness, helping the mixture hold together when shaped.
- Egg
- Brushed on top, it helps the breadcrumbs brown and form a golden crust.
- Gravy or milk
- Adds moisture so the mixture binds and does not stay too stiff.
The step that matters
Stir the mixture until it is well combined and add liquid if stiff. Stirring over heat with the potato and warm liquid lets the starch thicken and bind the meat, so the cakes hold their shape. If the mixture stays stiff it will crumble, so adding a little gravy or milk keeps it cohesive and moist.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, milk, pepper, egg):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Asparagusfits less well
- Tomatofits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, milk, pepper, egg. 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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