Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Irish Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Layer the stew
Layer sliced suet or melted butter at the bottom of a stew pan.
Add a layer of sliced potatoes, followed by a layer of beef chops.
Top with a layer of onions, then repeat the layers, finishing with potatoes on top.
Pour in the broth or water.
Cook and serve
Cook slowly until the meat is tender; serve whole boiled potatoes alongside.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Provides the meat that becomes tender during slow cooking.
- Potatoes
- Form the starchy layers that thicken the stew and soak up its flavour.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they soften in the cooking liquid.
- Butter or suet
- Adds fat and richness, coating the pan and enriching the stew.
The step that matters
Cook slowly until the meat is tender. Beef chops contain connective tissue that needs long, gentle cooking with moisture to break down. Rushing over high heat can leave the meat tough and dry.
“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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