Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates & Patriot

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes oodles of love, family time, togetherness, and lots and lots of entertaining. We love to entertain year-round, but during the holidays, the entertaining goes into overdrive and it seems like we’re constantly hosting one thing or another. Since we thankfully have the wine taken care of, most of the preparation lies in the food. For us, perfect dishes are ones that pair well with the wine, are quick and easy to make, and most importantly, are delectable. These bacon-wrapped dates hit every mark listed and they’re so good, in fact, that they feel almost like a well-kept secret.

Well, the secret is out, and you too can now have the best holiday appetizer around town. These bacon-wrapped dates are sweet, salty, savory, and of course, wrapped in bacon. Could you ask for anything more? Nope! Well, maybe wine, but you’ll have that too seeing as these little bites of heaven pair perfectly with our Patriot.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 slices bacon (thin bacon works better)

• 16 dates

• 4 ounces goat cheese

• toothpicks

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for crispier, browned bacon, set the oven temperature at 375F).

2. Slice the dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove the pit.

3. Using a spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese into the cavity of each date and press the sides together to close.

4. Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. The bacon should only wrap around the date about 1 ½ times to ensure that it cooks through properly. If bacon is too long, trim it to correct length.

5. Arrange evenly on a baking sheet with raised edges (otherwise grease will get everywhere) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dates and use the toothpick to turn each one so it’s laying on its side. Bake for another 5-8 minutes, until browned to your liking, and turn the dates to the other side and repeat. Remove from the oven, place on a paper towel lined plate, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

6. Serve with Weibel Patriot.

7. Basque in the praise of satisfied party guests!

Recipe courtesy of pinchofyum.com