SAUSAGE-STUFFED DATES WRAPPED IN BACON
I’ve been wrapping dates in bacon since 2012, when I first encountered the dish at Más Tapas, my favorite restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. Those were stuffed with goat cheese, which is delicious, but if you don’t tolerate dairy, you can just make them without it. We started experimenting with different fillings and finally landed on this one: sausage. They can be a little time-consuming to make, but they are totally worth it. SERVES 8 TO 10
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
16 to 20 dates, pitted
1 pound spicy ground pork sausage
8 to 10 slices bacon, halved
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Carefully slice each date down the middle (but not all the way through—just enough so that you can stuff it with sausage).
- Roll out tablespoon –size ovals of sausage in your hand. Stuff each date with a sausage oval. Wrap each stuffed date with half a strip of bacon, and place it on a baking sheet.
- Bake the dates for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is cooked through, and serve.
VARIATION 1 ALMOND-STUFFED BACON DATES: Instead of sausage, stuff each date with an almond. Wrap with bacon, and bake as instructed.
VARIATION 2 BACON-WRAPPED DATES WITH APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE: In a medium bowl, stir to combine 1 tablespoon minced shallot with 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, and ½ cup olive oil. Drizzle over the bacon-wrapped dates after cooking, and serve. Keep any leftover dressing in the fridge to use on salads.
PALEO PAIR: Serve these as appetizers along with Bacon Brussels Sprouts (here) and Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp (here) at your next party.
