Black Garlic-Roasted Cornish Game Hen

This is a simple and tasty weeknight dinner. I used black garlic, but you can swap in regular garlic - just halve it and mash it to a paste. The black garlic is a sweeter more subtle garlic flavor. 

Smoked Cornish Game Hen/How to Make a Stovetop Smoker

I wanted to do something interesting for dinner instead of just roasting a Cornish Game Hen, so I tried smoking it. It can get a little smokey (especially if you don't have a good vent fan above the stove) but it adds a really great flavor. Next I want to try it with ribs. This method gives you a smokey flavor in a short amount of time, so it's great if you want to smoke something but don't have a big green egg or some sort of serious smoker. This was super juicy inside, but the smokiness can make it seem a little dry, so I'd recommend serving it with a sauce, maybe BBQ.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Cornish Game Hen (1-2 lb)

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup sugar

salt and pepper

3 tbsp wood chips (I used hickory)

2 bay leaves

spices (your choice - I used thyme and garlic powder)

Fried Cornish Game Hen

Jamie and I had a big ugly sweater Christmas party and the next night were feeling like we needed a little comfort food.

I had never made real, deep fried chicken before and went to the grocery to pick out what I thought I might need. There was a sale on Cornish game hen and I love these little birds. They cook faster than chicken and they're delicious, and great when you just have two people to feed. So then fried chicken turned into fried Cornish game hen. Sounds fancy, right? You could totally serve it at a dinner party without seeming too down home. (Don't be intimidated by the name - Cornish game hens are basically just mini chickens.)