Why it works: Potato and onion 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 ↓
Hot Pot
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Divide the meat into neat cutlets, trimming off the skin and excess fat.
In a stewpan, combine short rib bones, lean meat trimmings, gills from the oysters, and the onion with cold water; boil to make gravy.
Assemble
Grease a fire-proof baking dish and layer sliced potatoes at the bottom.
Arrange the cutlets on top of the potatoes, slightly overlapping, and place a slice of kidney and an oyster on each cutlet.
Season well and add the remaining potatoes, topping with halved small potatoes for appearance.
Pour hot stock or water seasoned with salt and pepper down the side of the dish.
Bake and serve
Brush the top layer of potatoes with warm butter or fat, cover with greased paper, and bake for about 2 hours at 350°F (175°C).
Remove the paper during the last part of baking to crisp and brown the potatoes.
Before serving, pour in a little gravy and serve the rest in a sauce-boat.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the rich, savoury meat that the dish is built around.
- Potatoes
- Form the layered base and top, becoming tender inside and browning on the surface.
- Sheep's kidneys
- Add a deep, rich savoury flavour to the meat layer.
- Sauce oysters
- Add a briny, savoury depth to the filling.
- Butter or good fat
- Browns the top potato layer and adds richness.
The step that matters
Removing the paper to brown the potatoes. Covered baking traps steam, keeping the potatoes soft. Uncovering for the final stretch lets surface moisture evaporate so the starch can brown and crisp.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, sauce, oyster, potato, pepper, butter):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, sauce, oyster, potato, pepper, butter. 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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