Roasted Cornish Hens

Okay, so I was really treading on new territory with tonight's dinner but it was surprisingly easy and super tasty.  When we were at the butcher yesterday, we bought two individual sized cornish hens (I mean, I guess they all are that small but I don't really know...).  I see them all the time at normal grocery stores in case you don't have such a fabulous butcher nearby!  They were priced right and it was something new to try.  I didn't have a recipe but just simply did what I would have done to roast a chicken.  Turned out great.

You'll Need:

1 cornish hen per person you plan to serve
fresh herbs - I used parsley and rosemary because that is what I had on hand
salt
pepper
unsalted butter
lemon

What To Do:

Remove the innards from the birds (if they aren't already removed).  Stuff the inside with slices of chopped lemon and the fresh herbs.  Season the skin liberally with salt and pepper.

Bake for 45-ish minutes at 350 degrees.  I turned the heat up at the very end and put a pat of butter on each bird to give it the browned color.  If you have a meat thermometer, the temp should be about 180 degrees.

We had ours tonight with roast potatoes and peas.  The birds look huge but they aren't nearly as meaty as chickens so it is perfect, albeit slightly messy, personal portion.