I don’t love birds.

This means I don’t really enjoy chickens, hens, or the like.

My preference is really for red meat over poultry.

There are some things in life, though, you’ve just got to do once in a while.

And cornish game hens are one of those things, I suppose.

Oh, and I must add that birds – raw and cooked – simply do not photograph well.

This was not my favorite post – but the meal itself tasted good.

Give it a try. I dare you.

Cornish Game Hens on Celeriac Nests

3 cornish game hens
1 Meyer Lemon
2 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
sea salt and pepper
1 large celeriac bulb, peeled and half spiralized, half chopped
4 Tbs. pastured butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the birds with fresh herbs and salt and pepper, and the juice of half the lemon.

Bake at 400 degrees, covered, for 1 hour. Remove cover for the last 30 minutes of cooking to brown skin.

While the birds are bubbling, peel the remaining half of the lemon (pith and all) and puree. Set aside.

Mix the spiralized celeriac noodles with 1 Tbs. melted butter and form into 2-3 “nests.” Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until crispy. Boil the remaining chopped root until soft, and then puree with remaining butter and extra salt and pepper.

To serve, place one pile of celeriac mash, topped with one “nest” on a beautiful plate, and then top with one little hen and a drizzle of the pureed Meyer lemon.

Peel into the bird. Eat your heart out.

Yes, just for the record, this meal, and any whole chicken meal, tastes entirely more superb than the photos of the little naked guys. You’ll just have to try it out for yourself.