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
Prepare the potatoes
Wash and peel the potatoes, then steam or boil them.
Once dry, pass the potatoes through a wire sieve into a bowl using a wooden spoon.
Shape the croquettes
While the potatoes are hot, add the butter, parsley, beaten egg, pepper, and salt to the bowl.
Mix everything well and, when cool enough, shape into croquettes.
Beat the other egg on a plate, dip each croquette into it, then roll in bread crumbs.
Fry and serve
Fry the croquettes until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the croquettes on a hot dish, garnished with fried parsley in the center.
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 croquette, giving a soft, starchy interior once mashed.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, making the mashed potato smooth and flavorful.
- Eggs
- Bind the mashed potato together and form a coating that helps the crumbs stick.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the potato mixture.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden outer crust when fried.
The step that matters
Shape the croquettes while the potatoes are still cool enough to handle but not cold. Potato mash that is too cold is stiff and cracks when shaped, while mash that is too hot is sticky and hard to hold. Letting it cool slightly makes it firm enough to form smooth shapes that hold together in the frying oil.
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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