Potato substitution

[igenlode]

While using my old potato pasty recipe (works better than shortcrust pastry for pasties) and experimenting with a an intriguing wartime 'chocolate sponge' pudding that had eight ounces of grated raw potato in it (yes, it did rise), I came to the slightly disturbing realisation that I'm perfectly happy to accept recipes which involve substituting potato or oatmeal for fat on the grounds of economy, but thoroughly put off by cake recipes that advocate using soaked 'chia seed' or mashed dates on principle to simulate animal protein :-(

It's not the alteration to the normal recipe but the perceived faddiness, I think...