Breakfast
Hash Browns
An oval, not a patty, and that is deliberate.
A shredded potato cake fried to order, sold as part of the breakfast menu.
A shape built for breakfast service
Hash browns are easy to read as a potato side, but the oval is a handling decision. The shredded potato is pressed into a compact cake that fits the sleeve used for breakfast service. It has enough surface to brown while staying together when lifted.
The design assumes movement rather than a plate. It drains predictably after frying, can be eaten without cutlery, and holds together on the trip from the counter to a car. Those constraints explain why the item is an oval rather than a round patty: the shape belongs to the way the food is carried.
An item, not just a meal component
In the catalogue's United Kingdom listing, the hash brown is sold individually rather than only as part of a meal. It therefore has two roles: a separate breakfast item and a companion to the morning sandwich. The point is not visual novelty. It is a small piece of service design, made to be cooked, wrapped, and handled in the same short window as the rest of breakfast.