out of season

Vitelotte Potatoes

Name: Vitelotte Potatoes
Brand: LE MARCHE
SKU: PPOTS100
Price: 7.50 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£7.50

Net: 1kg Heritage French Variety Nutty & Earthy

A heritage French potato dating back to the early nineteenth century, with deep violet flesh coloured by anthocyanin pigments that hold through cooking. Dry, floury texture with a distinctive chestnut-like nuttiness — a chef's variety, valued as much for drama on the plate as for flavour.

A French heritage potato with deep violet-purple flesh that runs right through to the centre of the tuber — not just skin-deep colour, but a uniform, almost ink-like purple that holds through cooking. The Vitelotte is one of the oldest named potato varieties still in cultivation, documented in France since the early nineteenth century, though its origins are thought to trace back further to South American cultivars brought to Europe in the colonial period. Alexandre Dumas mentioned it in his Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine in 1873, and it has maintained a following among French chefs ever since.

The colour comes from high concentrations of anthocyanins — the same class of water-soluble pigments found in blueberries, red cabbage, and black grapes. These pigments are pH-sensitive, which is why the colour can shift slightly depending on cooking method and what the potato comes into contact with — a squeeze of lemon or vinegar will brighten the purple, while alkaline conditions can push it towards blue.

The texture is dry and floury, closer to a King Edward or Maris Piper than a waxy salad potato. The flavour is distinctive — earthy and nutty with a subtle chestnut quality that sets it apart from more neutral-tasting varieties. The dryness makes Vitelotte well suited to roasting, mashing, and gnocchi, where a floury potato performs better than a waxy one. It is less suited to boiling whole for salads, where it tends to crumble.

The tubers are small and knobbly with dark, almost black skin — they are not the most elegant-looking raw potato, but the interior colour more than compensates once cut or cooked.

Origin: France.

Ingredients: Vitelotte potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

Roast at 200°C for 25–30 minutes, halved or quartered depending on size, tossed in olive oil with flaky salt and rosemary. The floury texture crisps well on the cut surfaces while the interior stays fluffy. The colour darkens slightly during roasting but remains unmistakably purple.

For mash, boil in salted water until tender — around 15–18 minutes — then drain thoroughly and mash with butter and a little warm milk. The result is a vivid purple mash that works particularly well alongside game, duck, or beef. Keep it simple with seasoning so the colour does the talking.

For gnocchi, bake the potatoes whole at 180°C until completely soft, then scoop out the flesh and work with flour, egg yolk, and salt as you would a standard gnocchi dough. The purple carries through and holds after boiling — dress with brown butter and sage for a striking plate.

Sliced very thinly on a mandoline and deep-fried at 170°C, Vitelotte make dramatic crisps — season with fine salt immediately after frying. They also work well as a gratin, layered thinly with cream, garlic, and thyme, though the colour will bleed slightly into the cream.

Pairs well with strong flavours — truffle, blue cheese, cured meats, walnuts, wild mushrooms, and robust herbs like thyme and rosemary.

Order Cut-Off Times & Delivery Date Selection

Orders placed before 2 PM (Monday to Friday) are dispatched the same day, unless you select a future delivery date at checkout.

Our Delivery Service

We use reliable third-party express courier services and high-quality insulated packaging. While our couriers are generally excellent, occasional delays can happen. We pack everything to stay fresh, even if transit takes a little longer.

Time-Sensitive & Event Orders

Can we guarantee delivery on a specific day? Unfortunately not - we rely on third-party couriers and can't control their schedules. All items leave us in perfect condition with good use-by dates, but final timing depends on the courier.

If your order is for a specific event, let us know in the notes section at checkout. We can often dispatch a day earlier to give you the best chance of timely arrival.

DELIVERY Changes After Dispatch

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Saturday Delivery

Saturday delivery is available, though please note our couriers don't operate phone support at weekends and our office is closed. For event-critical orders, a weekday delivery gives us more flexibility to help if any issues arise.

Full delivery details and shipping rates: here

Description

A French heritage potato with deep violet-purple flesh that runs right through to the centre of the tuber — not just skin-deep colour, but a uniform, almost ink-like purple that holds through cooking. The Vitelotte is one of the oldest named potato varieties still in cultivation, documented in France since the early nineteenth century, though its origins are thought to trace back further to South American cultivars brought to Europe in the colonial period. Alexandre Dumas mentioned it in his Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine in 1873, and it has maintained a following among French chefs ever since.