Ingredients
four 1-pound Cornish hens, butterflied, breasts boned
1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 6 lemons
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 jalapeño pepper, split lengthwise, seeds removed, thinly sliced
fine sea salt
Preparation
Rub the Cornish hens’ skin, inside and out, with the peeled garlic clove. Discard the clove. Spread the red pepper between the skin and the meat. Season all over with black pepper.
Place the hens in a nonreactive pan. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over them then scatter the sliced garlic, rosemary, thyme, and jalapeño over them. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, remove the hens from the marinade, pat them dry, and season the skins with salt.
Set a heavy cast-iron skillet large enough to fit all the hens (or use 2 or more smaller skillets) over medium heat. Place the hens, skin side down, in the skillet and press them with a spatula or weight (such as a cast-iron pan or foil-wrapped brick) to obtain a golden-brown crispy skin, then turn them over and repeat. Depending on the size of the hens, this will take 25-30 minutes altogether.
Place each hen on a dinner plate and serve at once.
VINO This spicy dish requires something that can stand up to its spice, like a full-bodied Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany.
