Vitelotte crisps are also very decorative and tasty: use a potato peeler to cut very thin slices of potato and deep-fry them in hot oil (175° C– 350° F) until they are crisp.
In a source from 1817, six varieties of potato are listed as available at the market of Les Halles among them are both vitelotte and violette ("violet"). In early descriptions, vitelotte were not necessarily violet-coloured. The first occurrence of the word is from 1812.
The French word vitelotte derives from the archaic French: vit, meaning " penis" (modern French bite), by analogy with the shape of the tuber. Be sure to leave at least one or two tubers in the ground to help ensure. If they are small or immature, wait a few more days before harvesting. To determine if they are ready for harvesting, gently dig into the soil and feel for the tubers. The tubers are elongated with sunken eyes they are thick-skinned, and thus keep well. The best time to harvest purple potatoes is when the vines have died back, and the tubers are mature. The plants mature late and, compared to modern varieties, are relatively low-yielding. The colour is retained in cooking, and is due to natural pigments in the anthocyanin group of flavonoids. 'Vitelotte' potatoes have a dark blue, almost black, skin and dark violet-blue flesh they have a characteristic nutty flavour and smell of chestnuts.