Recipes:
# Sage-Roasted Cornish Game Hens
## INGREDIENTS
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
* 1 tablespoon dried sage, crumbled
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 4 Cornish game hens (1½ pounds each)
**SERVES 4**
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## Make Ahead
Prepare the hens for roasting through step 2 up to **8 hours ahead**. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
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## Variation
Try different herbs, such as tarragon, rosemary or fresh thyme, for a change of pace.
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### 1
Preheat oven to **450°F**.
Combine butter, sage and lemon peel in a small bowl.
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### 2
Coat each hen well with butter mixture.
Gently lift the skin over the breast to spread butter mixture underneath.
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### 3
Roast hens, basting with pan juices about every **10 minutes**, until juices run clear when meat is pierced with a knife, about **45 minutes**.
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### 4
Let hens stand for **5 minutes**; carve into slices.
Serve immediately.
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## Make It Quicker
* Use a bulb baster to spread the butter mixture under the skin. Just melt the butter and be sure to insert it very carefully under the skin from the neck end of the hen.