Cornish Game Hen with Sausage Stuffing

Cornish Game Hen with Sausage Stuffing

This is a recipe I developed many years ago and return to it two or three times every year.

Ingredients for the marinade:

• 2+ T olive oil

• ½ t coarse salt (Morton’s Kosher)

• Freshly ground pepper

• ½ t dried thyme

• ½ t minced rosemary ((optional))

Ingredients for the sausage stuffing

• ½ lb. Moody's breakfast sausage

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 t minced garlic

• ½ - 1/4 t thyme

• ½ - 1/4 t rosemary

• Dash cayenne pepper ((<1/8 t))

• ½ t (scant) crushed fennel seeds

• Salt and pepper to taste ((I often eliminate the salt))

Preparation:

1. Marinate 2 hens for at least 6 hours.

2. Blend in herbs to sausage as if you were kneading dough. 

3. Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

4. Stuff the hens and bake @ 350° for 1 hour & 20 minutes, basting the hens every 20 minutes with the reserved marinade.

Note: you want to make certain the sausage stuffing is well cooked. One hour, twenty minutes is the minimum.

Wine pairing: This goes well with a Pinot Noir.

Enjoy!