Why it works: Garlic and lamb are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,376 recipes mention both. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 2Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, simmer for about 15 minutes until tender, then drain well.
Mash the hot potatoes with the milk, crushed garlic and some of the butter until smooth, and keep covered in a warm pan.
Season the flour well. Lightly coat each slice of lamb's liver in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Melt a little butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the liver for 1 to 2 minutes per side until cooked through to 145°F (63°C), then rest on a plate for 3 minutes.
Add the red wine and rosemary sprig to the same pan and bubble over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up the juices.
Pour in the lamb stock, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove the rosemary and stir in any resting juices from the liver.
Meanwhile, steam or boil the greens for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender, then toss them in a little butter.
Spoon the garlic mash onto plates, top with the liver, pour over the red wine gravy and serve with the buttered greens.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Garlic + lambtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,376 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Potato + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,512 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + rosemarytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together708 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Red wine + rosemarytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together320 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the rosemary
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, garlic, milk, lamb, flour, red wine):
- Rosemarythe original
- Thymeabout as good a flavor fit
- Parsleyabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, garlic, milk, lamb, flour, red wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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