Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, butter, hot cream, beaten egg whites, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice until well combined.
Shape the mixture into small croquettes.
Roll each croquette in beaten egg, then coat with cracker crumbs.
Fry the croquettes in hot oil until they are a light, rich brown.
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 + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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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 + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mashed potatoes
- Form the bulk of the croquette and give a soft, tender interior.
- Egg whites
- Bind the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape while frying.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat for a smoother, more flavourful interior.
- Hot cream
- Adds moisture and softness, keeping the mashed potato mixture pliable.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp coating that browns during frying.
The step that matters
Fry the croquettes in hot oil until light, rich brown. The oil must be hot enough to brown the crumb coating quickly. If it is too cool, the croquettes absorb excess oil and turn greasy before the crust sets, and the interior may not heat through.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream, egg, pepper, parsley, lemon):
- Spinachfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Leekfits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream, egg, pepper, parsley, lemon. 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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