Roasted Cornish Game Hens by Heather

Brandon and I are going to Ireland, but we still wanted to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner.  Since it was just the two of us, I decided to make Cornish game hens.  They're really easy to make, and they always turn out juicy.  I also made oyster stuffing, truffle mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts with prosciutto, and I'll be posting those recipes over the next couple of days.

Ingredients:
2 cornish game hens
1 tbs. butter
1 lemon, quartered
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbs. mixture of chopped herbs such as sage, rosemary, and thyme
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup wine or chicken broth



If you need to defrost the game hens, fill your sink or a large bowl with water and submerge the hens for about 2 hours.

Wash the hens inside and out, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Stuff cavity with 1-2 pieces lemon, herbs, and a little of the minced garlic and shallots.  Rub 1 tbs. olive oil on each bird, and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle and rub the remaining herbs, shallots, and garlic on the skin of the bird.

Place a sheet of parchment paper onto a baking dish, then place birds on top.  Pour wine around the birds and add a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme.

Bake birds at 450 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Check on the birds periodically to make sure the garlic and herbs on the top of the skin isn't burning.  If it starts to brown too much, brush the garlic off and place half a tbs. of butter on the top of each bird.

After 35 minutes, pierce the skin on one if the thighs with a knife, and if the liquid runs clear, you'll know the birds are done.

Happy Thanksgiving!