Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pan Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

When I was in the store about a week ago I found some cornish game hens that were on sale and I wanted to try to cook them since I haven't before. I've kept them in the freezer for a while and now I finally had time to cook them. I thought they would taste like chicken, and they did, but they had a really gamey taste. I'm not in love with the cornish game hen but if you are here's a recipe to try! You can also do this same recipe with a whole chicken too.


Ingredients:
1 cornish game hen per person
3 tbs. butter, room temp!
5 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Dry Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dry thyme (anything you have on hand)
Worchestire sauce
1-2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Take out the cornish game hen and rinse thoroughly then pat dry. Allow to sit at room temp while you make the butter rub.

2. Combine butter, 2/3 of the parsely, 2 tbs. lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dry spices in a small bowl. Use a fork and mix.

3. Preheat oven to 450.

4. Place cornish game hen in a roasting pan. Using your hands rub butter mixture all over outside and inside of hen. Once everything is covered well fill the game hen cavity with the roughly chopped onion, more parsely, and the lemon rinds from juicing. Anything that doesn't fit in the cavity, just sprinkle around the game hen into the bottom of the roast pan. Tie end of drumsticks together with a bit of butcher's twine for more even roasting.

5. Allow hen to sit until oven is heated. Place a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh then place hen in the oven.

6. Cook until temp hits 160. Remove hen from oven and remove from roasting pan onto a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

7. To make Gravy: Place roasting pan back onto the stove. Pour in about 1 cup of chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon scrape all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add some fresh lemon juice and a dash of worchestire sauce. Taste the liquid and see if it needs salt and pepper. Allow liquid to reduce by half then pour into a serving dish or gravy boat.

8. Place a hen on each plate and a big mound of mashed potatoes. I like to leave my gravy on the side so people can decide how much they would like. Enjoy Eating!