Recipe: Sesame Grilled (or Broiled) Quail with Shoestring Potatoes
Page: 154
Date Cooked: March 27, 2013
This is the last of the poultry recipes for this project. I really wanted to invest and use quail for this recipe. But I just couldn't justify spending so much (grad school budget here), and decided to use fresh Cornish game hens instead. I believe this served as a good substitute. I also opted to go for the broiling method since there was still some snow outside.
I combined the mustard, vinegar, sesame oil, white wine, and olive oil to create a marinade for the game hens. I added minced garlic and shallots to the marinade and let it sit at room temperature. In the meantime, I butterflied the game hens and patted them dry. I combined the marinade and hens in a shallow dish, covered, refrigerated, and let marinate for 1 hour on each side.
I peeled the potatoes and cut them into matchsticks. The potatoes were kept in a bowl of ice water. I also placed the sesame seeds in a skillet and toasted till the seeds were golden brown.
I transferred the game hens to a platter and reserved the marinade. I then proceeded with frying the potatoes. I heated the oil in a cast iron skillet, I patted the potatoes completely dry, and placed a few sticks in the oil. When just golden, I removed the potatoes onto a plate lined with paper towels and lightly salted them.
I also patted the herbs (basil, sage, and parsley) dry and fried them in the oil. Disclaimer: It appears that no matter how dry the herbs are, there is a significant amount of splatter that occurs.
I put the game hens under the broiler skin side up and broiled until the skin appeared crispy. I turned the game hens, basted them with the marinade, and broiled until just cooked through. When the hens were finished, I pressed the skin side into the toasted sesame seeds. I was then ready to plate. I arranged the hens on top a nest of potatoes and scattered the fried herbs over the plate.
There is a definite sense of simplicity to this meal. There aren't many components and there isn't too much work either. I enjoyed the game hens. They were cooked perfectly and I could taste hints of the marinade throughout. And really, who doesn't love fried potatoes? But I did feel as if a component was missing. I'm not exactly sure what it is, yet the dish was missing a depth of flavor. All in all, a good dish.
Page: 154
Date Cooked: March 27, 2013
This is the last of the poultry recipes for this project. I really wanted to invest and use quail for this recipe. But I just couldn't justify spending so much (grad school budget here), and decided to use fresh Cornish game hens instead. I believe this served as a good substitute. I also opted to go for the broiling method since there was still some snow outside.
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| Ingredients: Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, white wine, olive oil, garlic, shallot, Cornish game hen, russet potatoes, sesame seeds, Kosher salt, pepper, corn oil, basil, sage, and parsley |
I combined the mustard, vinegar, sesame oil, white wine, and olive oil to create a marinade for the game hens. I added minced garlic and shallots to the marinade and let it sit at room temperature. In the meantime, I butterflied the game hens and patted them dry. I combined the marinade and hens in a shallow dish, covered, refrigerated, and let marinate for 1 hour on each side.
 |
| Game hens in the marinade |
I peeled the potatoes and cut them into matchsticks. The potatoes were kept in a bowl of ice water. I also placed the sesame seeds in a skillet and toasted till the seeds were golden brown.
 |
| Toasting the sesame seeds |
I transferred the game hens to a platter and reserved the marinade. I then proceeded with frying the potatoes. I heated the oil in a cast iron skillet, I patted the potatoes completely dry, and placed a few sticks in the oil. When just golden, I removed the potatoes onto a plate lined with paper towels and lightly salted them.
 |
| Frying the potatoes |
I also patted the herbs (basil, sage, and parsley) dry and fried them in the oil. Disclaimer: It appears that no matter how dry the herbs are, there is a significant amount of splatter that occurs.
 |
| Fried herb leaves |
I put the game hens under the broiler skin side up and broiled until the skin appeared crispy. I turned the game hens, basted them with the marinade, and broiled until just cooked through. When the hens were finished, I pressed the skin side into the toasted sesame seeds. I was then ready to plate. I arranged the hens on top a nest of potatoes and scattered the fried herbs over the plate.
 |
| Sesame Broiled Quail with Shoestring Potatoes |
There is a definite sense of simplicity to this meal. There aren't many components and there isn't too much work either. I enjoyed the game hens. They were cooked perfectly and I could taste hints of the marinade throughout. And really, who doesn't love fried potatoes? But I did feel as if a component was missing. I'm not exactly sure what it is, yet the dish was missing a depth of flavor. All in all, a good dish.
Enjoy!
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