Roasted Cornish Hens | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

by Frankie Scanlon November 8, 2023

Yield: Serves 4.
Time Estimate: 1 Hour 30 minutes, including 1 hour unattended.
Storage Notes: Can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Difficulty: Easy.

Cornish hens are a treat, and in this lovely winter roast recipe shares makes them all the better with accompanying succulent winter veggies. Arranging your veggies snugly around the bird with potatoes on the bottom and covering in foil for the majority of the cook time means maximum savory drippings: you'll not only have perfectly cooked, juicy birds, but richly flavored, tender veggies as well.

Ingredients

2 Cornish hens
10 inches Polish kielbasa
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 LBs baby potatoes
2 Large parsnips
1 Bunch small carrots, tops on
8 Baby bell peppers
6 Pearl onions
1 White onion
8 Celery Stalks
8 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs Herbed Truffle Seasoning
1 1/2 Tbs Garlic Basil Sea Salt
3 Tbs French Onion Seasoning
Parsley for garnish

Directions

This one is all prep: start with rinsing and patting dry all the veggies.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, cube potatoes, and par boil for 5 minutes as you prep the veggies.
Slice kielbasa in half, and reserve.
Rinse Cornish hens all over, pat dry, and insert kielbasa in their cavities. Arrange in the center of your baking dish.
Drizzle over olive oil, and sprinkle on French Onion Seasoning, rubbing in well and all over the birds.
Peel pearl onions, leaving whole. Slice baby bells in half, removing tops and seeds. Peel carrots, leaving whole.
Peel parsnips, discarding tops and ends, and cube. Peel onions, cut into cubes, and separate slices.
Strain baby potatoes, and cut in half.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Begin assembling, packing everything around the birds snugly.
First potatoes on the bottom to absorb the droppings, then all the parsnip cubes.
Insert halved baby bells in the gaps, along with onion slices.
Add celery, pressing into any gaps there may be.
Top with pearl onions, and then ring baking dish with carrots, pressing down and into the sides of dish.
Cube cold butter, and arrange squares across the top.
Season the veggies generously with Herbed Truffle Seasoning, before finishing everything with Garlic Basil Sea Salt.
Give everything one final gentle compress, then cover tightly with foil and cook for 40 minutes.
Uncover, and cook a further 20-30 minutes, or until the hens have reached an internal temperature of 165F, and remove from oven.
Split hens and kielbasa in half, serve with veggies, spoon over drippings, garnish, and devour.