Roasted Game Hen with Bacon and Fruity Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 game hens (≈400 g each)
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 100 g shallots
• 1 Carrot
• 1 stalk Celery
• 1 small stalk leek
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 250 ml poultry stock (from the jar)
• 200 ml red wine
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 8 slices breakfast bacon
• 1 tbsp gooseberry jam

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) with upper and lower heat.

2. 2.

   Wash the game hens inside and out, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Peel and cut the shallots lengthwise into strips. Peel and dice the carrot. Trim and clean the celery and leek, then chop them finely.

3. 3.

   Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan, add the carrots, leeks, shallots, and celery, and sauté briefly. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Deglaze with 200 ml poultry stock, add 150 ml red wine and thyme sprigs, scraping up any browned bits. Place the hens breast-side up in the pan, cover each with two bacon slices, and roast in the hot oven for about 35 minutes, gradually adding the remaining stock and red wine as needed.

4. 4.

   Remove the hens from the pan and keep warm. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a small saucepan, reduce slightly, blend if desired, stir in gooseberry jam, and season to taste. Plate the hens with the sauce on top.