Citrus-Glazed Cornish Game Hens with Maple-Braised Root Vegetables

I whipped this up for a quick date night one evening.  It looks super fancy, but is remarkably easy and only takes about 30 minutes start to finish, including cooking time!

Ingredients:
2 Cornish Game Hens, spatchcocked
medley of root vegetables (I used beets, radishes, Harukei turnips, and carrots),
     cut into similar-sized pieces
handful of microgreens
2 Tbps citrus marmalade
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
white wine vinegar
olive oil for cooking
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1.  Generously salt and pepper the hens top and bottom.  Preheat the oven to 400.  In a large skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil.  Sear the hens, skin side down, until browned.  Turn them over and sear the underside.  Glaze the hens with the marmalade and place them in the oven to finish cooking.  Hens are fully cooked when the thighs register 165F.  When finished, remove from the oven, baste with the pan juices, and allow to rest about 10 minutes.

2.  While the hens are cooking, place the root vegetables in a small sauce pan and barely cover with olive oil.  Gently poach the vegetables over medium heat until tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in maple syrup.  Cook a minute more to combine the syrup with the oil.  When serving, scoop veggies out with a slotted spoon; they will be coated in just enough oil/maple glaze. 

3.  Make a vinaigrette with the white wine vinegar, a bit of the marmalade, and olive oil.  Salt and pepper the microgreens.  Dress with the vinaigrette.

4.  To plate, place the root veggies in the middle of the plate, top with the hen (you can remove the legs to make it look better and plate them separately) and top with the microgreen salad.  Enjoy!