Hen Stuffed with Lemon and Sage

STORY

One Saturday afternoon I was expecting Sean, and I had already eaten, and I didn’t have much time to put a meal together for him. I picked up a Cornish hen and snatched some sage out of my Aerograrden, two cloves of garlic out of my “pantry” (my pantry is actually a bowl on my counter), and a lemon out of my refrigerator. This is what I did.

RECIPE

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: Just under an hour

TOOLS

• chef knife
• kitchen twine
• rotisserie or an oven (preheat 425° F / 235° C)
• digital thermometer

INGREDIENTS

1 Cornish hen (innards removed)

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper

2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)

6 sage leaves

1 lemon (cut into 4 thin slices, and juice 2 tsp of lemon juice)

METHOD

1. Sprinkle sea salt, ground pepper, and 2 cloves of minced garlic, all over the Cornish hen (inside and out).
2. Loosen the skin from the hen, and slice lemon slices and sage leaves underneath the skin (front and back of the bird).
3. Truss the hen, and drizzle with 2 tsp of lemon juice.
4. Cook in the rotisserie for 45 minutes or if you are roasting, drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil on the bird and cook at 425° F / 235° C for 10 minutes, and reduce to 350° F/ 175° C and cook for an additional 35 minutes.
5. Check temperature (thigh’s internal temperature should reach 170° F/ 76° C) and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Then eat it, or serve it. Enjoy!

(Photo Credit: Lance Madsen)