The finished product — roasted Cornish Game Hen with vegetables.
In the Pandemic Comfort Food Cookbook Vol. 1, published here last month, I talked about my love of the ultimate comfort food — beef stew and homemade beer bread.
This week, I decided to try something new — a whole roasted Cornish game hen, potatoes and vegetables.
For those of you who haven’t had one before, a Cornish game hen is kind of a really small chicken (I’m not an expert, but that seems right.) Just right for two people, or one with leftovers for a sandwich the next day.
Like chickens, they’re tasty. Unlike chickens, their size (1 to 2 pounds) makes them a good option for someone who wants to roast a whole bird but not have it take all day and feed a small village.
I grew up as an only child with a pretty compact extended family, so enormous turkeys have never been the norm at Thanksgiving or other family meals. My dad — in charge of the cooking — often makes a small beef roast (with leftovers getting repurposed in shepherd’s pie, more on that in another column) and a couple of Cornish game hens for a holiday meal.
On a recent trip to Chehalis’ Grocery Outlet, I spotted what you might call a flock of individually frozen game hens, one of which came home with me. I called Dad to get his tried and true recipe.
Cornish Game Hen
1 hen
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 of a fresh lime
salt
pepper
paprika
sage
butter
Dad’s directions were pretty basic. First though, I had to contend with the bird.
I thawed my frozen 1-pound hen in the refrigerator, but I still had to get it out of its plastic packaging. I sawed at it with a pair of dull scissors, then a knife. I thought, “I should squeeze it at the bottom. The hen will come right out!”
With a FWOOMP the hen ricocheted off the microwave and refrigerator before going airborne. I could almost see its naked little wings flapping furiously in its bid for freedom.
Right above my waiting dog, his eyes big as dinner plates, I managed to grab a leg. I deposited the pesky little chicken securely in a pyrex dish before disinfecting myself and half my kitchen.
The rest was much easier. Following Dad’s instructions, I put three whole cloves of garlic and a ¼ of a lime in the bird, and rubbed the exterior with a mixture of melted butter, salt, pepper, paprika, and because I didn’t have sage, a little parsley.
For a side, I quartered some small potatoes and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh chopped garlic and rosemary.
Both went into the oven at 400 degrees. After a half hour, I added some fresh green beans to the pan with the potatoes. After another 15 minutes, the thermometer read 165 and the bird was ready to come out.
The hen was juicy and wonderful and the potatoes were perfectly roasted. And all told, I spent less than $10 on the game hen and all the vegetables — with the result being a meal that felt like a special occasion, but took about an hour and a half (clean up time from my bird’s escape attempt included).
I hope you don’t read this column and think I make these big, from-scratch meals for myself all the time. I’m not too proud to say I love a good bowl of Kraft mac and cheese. The important thing, I think, is to take a minute to slow down and take care of yourself when life seems like it’s all moving a bit too fast.
Whether it’s from a box or a labor of love, making yourself a good meal can do a world of good.
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Natalie Johnson has been the editor of The Chronicle since 2018. She can be reached at njohnson@chronline.com
