So, this recipe came to me as part of a trial of the Plated service. (Disclaimer: I was not compensated by the company for doing this, and all opinions are my own.) I chose a six plate trial, which meant that I got two plates of three different recipes, and only had to pay shipping ($24 at that level) to have everything delivered to me the next day. I honestly got it because I was running a bit short on food, and couldn’t afford to do a full grocery shopping trip. 

I would recommend at least giving the free trial a run. The service delivers you the exact ingredients you’ll need for the recipes on the menu, with the exception of a few staples (olive oil, salt, pepper, water for the recipes I used). And even if you end up not liking a recipe for whatever reason, you can just use the ingredients that you get towards a recipe you know you’ll like (see: my using most of the ingredients for a beef brussels sprouts stir fry in recipe I’ll be posting after this instead).  Plus, the recipes are interesting, all of the ingredients are fresh and as far as I could tell regionally sourced, the recipes are well written, and will give you a chance to try something you might not necessarily try otherwise.  

Like at least two thirds of this recipe for me.  I don’t know any hunters, so it would be difficult for me to get my hands on quail on any given day, and I really haven’t seen quince in any grocery stores around here, but it’s definitely a thing I would like to eat if I ever got a chance to get it on a regular basis. The recipe provided is incredibly simple, and didn’t take me more than a half hour to make. I did end up adding a bit more balsamic to the quince, but for the most part, I will not be altering the recipe card I got for this in transcribing it here. 

Roasted Quail with Balsamic Quince and Smashed Potatoes
Lasts 2 to 3 meals

Ingredients

Roasted Quail

• 4 small partially-deboned quail
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 packets dijon mustard

Smashed Potatoes

• 6 baby red potatoes
• sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil

Balsamic Quince

• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 quince, peeled, cored, and diced
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 T water
• 1 packet butter

Preheat your oven to 425. While the oven preheats, season a pot of water with sea salt (to taste), add your potatoes, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, cover the pot and cook until fork tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. While the potatoes boil, take your quail, roughly chop the rosemary leaves, and pluck the thyme leaves off the sprigs. Mix the herbs with the dijon mustard. 

On one half of a foil lined baking sheet, season your quail with salt and pepper on both sides, and then brush the dijon herb mixture over the top of the quail. As soon as the potatoes are done, drain, pat dry, and add them to the other side of the sheet and smash the potatoes with a bowl, so that they are flattened, but still mostly intact. Drizzle with oilve oil and sea salt and pepper.  Put your quail and potatoes in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and the quail are golden. 

While your potatoes and quail are roasting, peel and core your quince, dicing it into small pieces. As soon as it’s diced, add it to a small pot with the balsamic vinegar, thyme, and water, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and simmer about ten minutes over medium heat, until the quince is tender. Remove the pot from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the butter to melt. 

And then, enjoy your awesome fall meal!