Why it works: Parsley and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Irish Potatoes for Dinner or Luncheon
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. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the potatoes
Peel and slice the potatoes into thin slices.
Soak the slices in cold water for about 1 hour, changing the water 2-3 times.
Boil the potatoes quickly in a white-lined boiler until tender.
Drain the water and cream the potatoes in the same vessel using a silver fork.
Make the creamed potatoes
Add the butter, salt, and sweet milk, beating until light and creamy.
While still hot, mix in the chopped parsley and celery.
Bake and serve
Transfer to a baking dish, top with grated cheese and cracker crumbs, and dot with butter.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until browned.
Serve hot, garnished with parsley.
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.
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Parsley + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 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
- Irish potatoes
- Form the bulk of the dish, becoming soft and tender when boiled and creamed.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the creamed potatoes a smooth texture and browning on top.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture so the mashed potatoes become light and creamy.
- Cheese
- Melts over the potatoes and browns in the oven, adding savoury flavour and a golden crust.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp, browned topping that contrasts with the soft potatoes.
The step that matters
Boiling the potatoes until tender. Potatoes must be fully tender before creaming; undercooked slices stay firm and resist mashing into a smooth, light texture.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, milk, parsley, cheese):
- Thymefits better
- Dillfits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, milk, parsley, cheese. 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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