What people think of as absurd or not is informed by culture which marketing attempts to shape. There are absolutely dishes and combinations enjoyed in other cultures that would turn your stomach.

Something like potato gems needs to be understood to be in the same category as gummy worms. Not a normal meal food, a treat which is absurdly rich.

Price per calorie is obviously not the major concern, and I put to you most people probably have no idea about how much energy is in what they eat or what its nutritional merit is. They make decisions based on their impression of what is a reasonable food in whatever category.

Potatoes and fish are meal foods in our culture, and culturally they retain this after being deep fried and battered. However bread which is a meal food does not retain meal food status if battered and fried. See what I’m getting at?

If you can buy battered potatoes in the frozen veg isle, next to the peas, and it has pictures on it informing you that this is an entirely reasonable food to put on a plate with peas then you might easily grab some for that purpose.