Confit Potatoes in Chicken Skin

Wotchers!

This recipe is ridiculously tasty given the humble simplicity of its ingredients.

It’s also pretty simple to prepare, although I will concede that the making of the potato parcels is, briefly, a little fiddly.

Seasoned potato straws with a little onion stuffed into pockets of chicken skin which, after 40 minutes in the oven, turn into the most luscious, decadent side dish or snack you could wish for. The skin shrinks around the potatoes, both basting them and becoming crispy in the process.

And that’s it.

And since the more I blab on here, the longer you have to wait before trying these, so let’s get started.

Confit Potatoes in Chicken Skin

Quantities are guesstimate only, because everything depends on how much of the ingredients you have. One reasonably-sized potato will make about three finished parcels. Given the choice, I would recommend the skin from chicken thighs, which are a reasonable size and simple, rectangular shape. I’ve also tried this with the skin from chicken drumsticks – they were fine, and the natural cone shape meant only two sticks were needed for each one, but they were rather fiddly.

chicken skin
wooden cocktail sticks
floury potatoes
onion
salt
pepper

• Use the cocktail sticks to pin the edges of the chicken skin together, leaving one side open to add the filling.
• Peel the potatoes and cut into matchsticks. Alternatively, use a mandolin. Try and avoid making them too long, as this just makes stuffing them into the chicken skin more of a challenge. Chop with a knife if they look to be too big.
• Chop the onion finely and add to the potato. The quantity is entirely up to you. If you’re an onion fan, you could add an amount equivalent to the weight of the potatoes. At the other end of the scale you could use a couple of spring onions or even just snip some chives in. I like to use 1 shallot per potato.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the pockets of chicken skin with as much of the potato mixture as you can. Press the filling in firmly, to make a tight parcel. Pin the opening closed with another cocktail stick.
• Arrange the filled parcels on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt (optional).
• Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the potato is soft and the skin crisp and golden.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cocktail sticks. Top Tip: roll the sticks ‘in situ’ as it were, to  loosen, then slowly draw them out. If you pull on them straight away, they might tear open the parcels, if the skin has roasted itself onto the stick. The parcels will hold together on their own, with the sticks removed, once cooked.
• Serve as a side dish or snack, with sauce to dip them into, if liked.