In the middle of a long week, when you’re getting off work late, the house hasn’t been cleaned and you just don’t feel like adulting, it can be so easy to opt for the “fast” food options. Maybe this is drive-thru on the way home, the hot bar at your local grocery store, a frozen ready to cook meal from the freezer, or just that open bag of chips and dip you still have. And sometimes, this really is all we can muster. But, it doesn’t have to be our default. There are delicious options we can feel good about, that aren’t difficult at all. We can let the oven do the work, and enjoy a nice home-cooked meal at the end of the day.
This week I made one of my favorites, which isn’t anything special, but it’s delicious and well loved every time. Baked Cornish Game Hens.
What do you need to do?
Preheat your oven to 400; mix olive oil, salt, pepper and poultry spices in a bowl; run your finger under the skin along the breast of the bird and in that space put some spices and butter; inside the bird put a quartered lemon, garlic cloves, and cut onions; coat the bird in the oil and spice mix and then use the rest of that mix to coat the baking pan; along with the bird put onions and tomatoes (carrots and bell peppers are also a great addition); cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, spoon the oil from the pan over the bird and veggies and then cook for another 30 minutes. After the full hour, spoon the oil over the bird again then put back in on broil for 10-20 minutes (this gives the bird a nice crisp top, but is to your preference – just watch to make sure it doesn’t burn).
Pull the bird out of the oven and empty the oil and spices from the pan, as well as from inside the bird, into a small pot, and tent the bird with foil. Cook the contents in the pot on the stove top on low to make a nice sauce to drizzle over the bird when serving.
This week I made this with simple (from scratch, not the box) mashed potatoes. But, it also goes really well with a side salad or roasted vegetables.
Like I said, let the oven do the work, and you just get to sit down to a delicious meal.
