Why it works: Potato and cheddar cheese work together. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 932 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Potato Souffles a LA St. Louis
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the potatoes
Wash and scrub the potatoes with a brush until clean, then dry them on a cloth.
Place the potatoes in a 350°F (175°C) oven and bake until done.
Make an incision at one end and scoop out the contents with a teaspoon, being careful not to break the skins.
Make the filling
Rub the soft potato through a wire sieve into a basin, then mix in the warm butter.
Heat the cream or milk and beat it into the potato pulp, seasoning with salt and pepper, then mix in the cheese.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the potato mixture.
Bake and serve
Fill the potato skins with the mixture and place them on a greased baking sheet, adding a little puree underneath to stabilize them.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.
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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Potato + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together932 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,436 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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 + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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 the fluffy pulp that holds the soufflé mixture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, silky texture to the mashed potato pulp.
- Cream or milk
- Adds moisture and softness, loosening the potato pulp into a smooth filling.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into stiff peaks, they lighten the mixture and help it rise in the oven.
- Cheddar cheese
- Adds savory flavor and browning as it melts into the filling.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped egg whites trap air that gives the soufflé its lift. Folding gently preserves those bubbles, while vigorous stirring deflates the foam and leaves a dense result.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream, egg, cheddar cheese, pepper):
- Potatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits less well
- Asparagusfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream, egg, cheddar cheese, 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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