Name: Crisped Potatoes, Os Potato-ribbons
Ingredients: potatoes; lard, butter, or clarified dripping; coarse sea salt; cayenne pepper

Why it works: Potato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,305 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Crisped Potatoes, Os Potato-ribbons

Ingredients

potatoes
lard, butter, or clarified dripping
coarse sea salt
cayenne pepper

Directions

Wash and wipe the potatoes, then cut them into slices ½ to 1 inch thick.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into very thin, long ribbons.
Soak the ribbons in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain them well.
Heat the lard, butter, or clarified dripping until very hot.
Fry the potato ribbons for 5 to 6 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.
Drain and dry them on a soft cloth.
Place them in a hot dish and sprinkle with a mix of salt and cayenne pepper before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,305 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,456 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).