Potato cake is a name given to various shaped potato dishes around the world, including a patty of hashed potatoes, a fried patty of mashed potato, a fried and battered slice of potato, or a flatbread made with mashed potato and flour. In some states in Australia a thin slice of potato that is battered and deep fried may be called scallops potato scallop, potato cake or potato fritter. In parts of England and America, a potato cake is a patty of hashed potatoes, a kind of hash brown. Another variant popular in the United Kingdom is prepared from cold mashed potatoes and fresh eggs.
The two ingredients are combined, then fried until crisp on the outside. In Australia and England, potato scallops in the form of thin slices of potato, battered and deep-fried. The terminology used in Australia differs from state to state. In Victoria, Tasmania, and the Riverina and the Murray River regions of New South Wales, they are referred to as “potato cakes”.