Figgy Piggy Cornish Hens

Ingredients

• Cornish game hens, meat only

  Chicken, raw

  4 bird or 960g

• Lemon juice

  Raw

  3 tbsp or 45g

• Bacon

  Raw, cured pork

  8 oz or 227g

• Figs

  Raw

  12 medium or 600g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ¾ tsp or 2g

• Salt

  Table

  1 ¼ tsp or 8g

• Thyme

  Fresh

  12 tsp or 10g

• Garlic

  Raw

  4 clove or 12g

Directions

1. Thinly slice garlic clove. Cut bacon and figs in half.
2. Preheat oven to 500F with rack in upper third.
3. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Add garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels with bacon.
4. Pat hens dry and season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Add fat in the skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.
5. Brown 4 hen halves, skin side down, about 6 minutes. Transfer, skin side up, to a large 4-sided sheet pan. Brown remaining hens, transferring to sheet pan. Reserve skillet.
6. Scatter thyme and figs over hens, then roast until hens are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, deglaze skillet with lemon juice by simmering, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 30 seconds. Pour over roast hens. Scatter bacon and garlic over hens.