Stuffed Roast Partridge or Rock Cornish Hens

Title: Stuffed Roast Partridge or Rock Cornish Hens

Category: Game and Wild Birds

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 1-pound ready-to-cook partridges
• salt
• coarsely ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1.5 cups hot cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 8-ounce package bacon slices

Instructions

ABOUT 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES AHEAD:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle cavities of partridges with salt and pepper. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, in hot butter or margarine, cook mushrooms, celery and onion until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, parsley, poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt; use to stuff birds lightly. Tie legs of each partridge together with string; cover each with bacon slices. Place partridges on rack in roasting pan with cover. (Or, use open roasting pan and cover with foil.) Cover and roast 1 hour; remove cover and roast 10 minutes longer or until bacon is crisp and partridges are tender when pierced with two-tined fork between leg and body; juices that escape should not be pink.

STUFFED ROCK CORNISH HENS:

Use four 1-pound Rock Cornish hens. Prepare as above but roast 1 hour and do not cover.