Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the potato mixture
Beat the egg yolks until light.
Mix with the mashed potatoes, cream, onion juice, butter, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Cook the mixture in a saucepan over low heat until it leaves the sides of the pan.
Shape and coat
Let it cool until manageable, then form into croquettes.
Dip each croquette in beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs.
Fry and serve
Fry in hot oil until golden brown and drain on paper before serving.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Cream + buttertop 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
- Egg yolks
- Bind the mixture and enrich it, helping it set firm when cooked.
- Mashed potatoes
- Form the bulk of the filling, giving a soft, moist interior.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the filling tender.
- Butter
- Adds fat for flavour and a softer, richer texture.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden coating when fried.
The step that matters
Cooking the mixture until it leaves the pan sides. Cooking over low heat drives off excess moisture so the mixture firms up. If it stays wet, the croquettes will be soft and may break apart when shaped or fried.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, potato, cream, butter, parsley, pepper, bread):
- Chivefits better
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, potato, cream, butter, parsley, pepper, bread. 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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