A
potato cake is a pancake of
mashed or thinly sliced potato which has been
battered and
deep-fried. Served hot, and usually with
tomato sauce (
ketchup) or
salt and vinegar on top, although this particular
garnish works much better with
chips.
Presumably this tasty treat originates from north-western Europe, in the kitchens of countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK with their collective love of deep fried things. Of course it has now spread around the world and a potato cake, at the moderate price of A60c, is a filling treat to be ingested prior to embarking upon one's train at Flinder's Street Station in Melbourne, for example.
I conclude this node with a warning to all Melbourne-dwelling afficandos of the humble potato cake - Certain vendors a) do not cook their cakes properly and b) often buy their cakes from a certain manufacturer who makes disgusting crap. These can be distinguished by their perfectly oval appearance and the faint horizontal lines marked.
sloebertje, who is
Dutch, informs me that he has:
"never even seen anything like the potato cake you describe... It sounds a bit like roesti, which is Swiss. But it might be Australian..."
So it is to remain a mystery, at least for now.