CHICKEN SKIN TACOS

Chicken Skin Tacos image

We made this dish because we like the "potato" de gallo idea. (In fact, you can make only the rub and eat it on almost anything, especially eggs.) Make certain that the potatoes are tiny and crisp, so you get that salt-and-vinegar potato chip taste.

Yield Makes 8 tacos

Number Of Ingredients 28

Ingredients

About 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) chicken skins
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon achiote powder (optional)
1 cup (140 g) minutely diced peeled potato
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
1/3 red onion, very finely diced
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and diced superfine
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
1/4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt
8 small corn tortillas, warmed
8 hard-boiled quail egg yolks (optional)
8 sprigs coriander
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup (250 ml) canola oil
Salt and pepper
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Purée de Fines Herbes (page 176), optional
(makes about 1 cup 250 ml)

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the skins into 4 or 5 pieces, each roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) square. With your hands, combine the skin pieces and canola oil in a roasting pan and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Roast the skins for 1 hour, stirring and tossing them every 15 minutes with your trusty tongs.
While the skins are roasting, make the rub. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, sugar, pepper, chile powder, cumin, coriander, and achiote powder.
When the skins are ready, they should be crispy, golden, and delicious looking. Remove from the oven, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Chop finely while still lukewarm, and season to taste with the rub. Keep warm. (The remaining rub will keep well in a tightly capped jar in a cool, dry cupboard.)
Just before the skins are ready, make the potato de gallo. In a nonstick frying pan, fry the potato in the oil for about 6 minutes, or until they have a French-fry color and are crispy. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry. Just before you are going to serve the tacos, combine the potato, onion, chile, mayonnaise, coriander, and lime juice and season with salt. Don't mix the ingredients any sooner; it is important that the "salsa" tastes fresh.
Now, build each taco: warm tortilla, some skin, some spud, a yolk (as dressing), and a coriander sprig.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and mustard. Pour in the oil in a steady, fine, slow stream and whisk, whisk, whisk. Always have a glass of water nearby in case the mayonnaise starts splitting and you need to thicken and mend. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Mix in some of the puréed herbs if you want to add a bit of flavor.
Use right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.