Why it works: Onion and potato 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 ↓
Meat Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Wipe the meat and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Add the onions and boiling water.
Pare and slice the potatoes into ¾-inch slices and add them to the meat.
Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes.
Mix flour and seasonings with cold water to form a paste, then add to the stock to thicken.
Assemble and bake
Transfer to a greased baking dish and place an inverted cup or pie funnel in the center.
Cover with rich biscuit dough or pastry.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
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.
-
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Meat + potatotop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together786 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Potato + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Meat
- Provides the main body and savory flavor of the filling as it simmers.
- Potatoes
- Add starch and body to the filling while absorbing the cooking stock.
- Flour
- Thickens the stock into a smooth gravy that holds the filling together.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they soften into the stock.
The step that matters
Thickening the stock with the flour paste. Flour must be mixed smoothly with cold water before it goes into hot stock; added dry or lumpy, it clumps and never thickens evenly. Starch thickens properly only once the liquid is hot and stirred.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, potato, flour, pepper):
- Spinachfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Okrafits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, potato, flour, 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.
More meat pie recipes
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipes
Sweet Potato Croquettes53 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.