Roasted Cornish Game Hen with lemon, herb & potato gnocchi

Ingredients:

2 lbs Cornish Game Hen
1 tsp Sweet Spanish paprika
1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp sun dried black olives chopped
1 tsp olive oil
500 ml brown chicken stock
Salt & freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
250 g butter

GNOCCHI
2 lbs Yukon Potatoes
1 egg
2¼ cups flour
2 tsps lemon zest
1 Tbsp chopped sage & parsley

Directions:

Split the hen into two halves and remove back bone. Mix together the paprika, rosemary, lemon zest and oil into a paste. Rub hen well and let marinate.

Boil the potatoes with skin on. Drain and let cool enough to handle (do not cool completely). Mash the potatoes using a ricer.
Dust work surface with a little flour, make a well with the potatoes and add the egg, herbs and the flour. Knead them together slowly until well mixed. Cut into 1” pieces. Bring water to a boil, blanch until they float, strain and cool on a tray.

Heat a large frying pan and sear the hen in some oil and a little butter, skin side down until golden, flip over and place in 350 oven for 15 minutes. When done, take out of frying pan and let rest.

Drain some of the fat and return pan to the burner, deglace with the lemon juice, add chicken stock and scrape up any drippings, reduce by half. Finish with a Tbsp of butter, olives and some freshly chopped parsley. Check seasoning.

Complementary Wines: Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, Primitivo

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