Why it works: Parmesan cheese and gruyere cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 152 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Poached Eggs in Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a fairly sharp oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the potatoes
Wash and scrub the potatoes, then bake them at 400°F (200°C) until tender.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the soft part with a spoon.
Make the filling
Mix the grated Parmesan cheese with the béchamel sauce.
Combine half of the potato puree with a little béchamel sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble and bake
Line the potato shells with the mixture, add a layer of sauce, and place a poached egg on top.
Carefully sauce over with more béchamel, sprinkle with grated Gruyère cheese, and add a pinch of pepper and panurette.
Place on a buttered baking tin and brown in a hot oven or under a broiler.
Serve immediately on a hot dish, covered with a folded napkin.
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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Parmesan cheese + gruyere cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together152 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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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 + gruyere cheesetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together55 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
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Parmesan cheese + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,322 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Potato + parmesan cheesetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together572 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the edible shells and, mashed, a soft base that holds the filling.
- Béchamel sauce
- Adds moisture and creaminess, binding the potato and keeping the filling soft.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savoury flavour and helps the top brown when baked or broiled.
- Gruyère cheese
- Melts into the sauce and browns on top, adding flavour and a golden crust.
- Poached eggs
- Provide the rich centrepiece, setting gently in the warm shell.
The step that matters
Brown under a hot oven or broiler. The browning is quick and close to the heat, so the eggs can overcook or the sauce can dry out if left unattended. Watching closely keeps the yolks runny and the top golden.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, parmesan cheese, gruyere cheese, egg, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Tomatofits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, parmesan cheese, gruyere cheese, egg, 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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