Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Modern Potato Pasty
Ingredients
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
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Trim excess fat from the mutton cutlets and wash them.
Dredge the cutlets in flour and season with salt and pepper or cayenne.
Place the cutlets in a tin mold and add enough broth or water to create gravy.
Stir in the mushroom catsup or Harvey's sauce.
Top and bake
Boil and mash the potatoes with butter and milk or cream until smooth.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the cutlets, leaving a rough surface.
Cover the mold and bake for 45 to 75 minutes, depending on size.
Serve immediately after removing the cover.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Mushroom + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Pepper + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mushroom + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together968 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton cutlets
- Provide the meat that cooks down in the gravy, giving the pasty its savory base.
- Flour
- Dusts the cutlets so they brown lightly and help thicken the gravy.
- Potatoes
- Form the mashed crust that covers the meat and steams gently under the cover.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the mashed potato topping.
- Milk or cream
- Adds moisture and smoothness to the mashed potato topping.
- Mushroom catsup
- Adds savory, umami depth to the gravy.
The step that matters
Cover the mold while baking. The lid traps steam so the meat cooks through in its own liquid and the potato crust stays moist rather than drying out. Removing it at the right time lets the top firm and brown slightly.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, flour, pepper, mushroom, butter, milk):
- Potatothe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, flour, pepper, mushroom, butter, milk. 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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