Bacon Wrapped Dates

Last week I visited a local butcher shop in Scottsdale called The Blind Pig. It conveniently sits inside of a restaurant, so you can dine and shop at the same time. A friend of mine's husband, Lennie, is the butcher, so I obviously trust his recommendations when visitng the pig. Last week I picked up a pound of applewood smoked bacon, and tried not to race home and eat all of it in one sitting. Lennie recommends baking the bacon on a wire rack, instead of pan-frying. That way the grease drips down to the pan, while the bacon cooks up perfectly crisp and flat. I've been wanting to try bacon wrapped dates for awhile, and I was lucky enough to snatch some bacon away before we baked the rest for breakfast. But these are a perfect appetizer for any party, partly because they are so easy to make, but also because they are the perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ingredients:

• 20 pitted dates
• 7-10 slices of bacon, depending on length

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Cut each strip of bacon into half or in thirds, depending on bacon length and date thickness. You want each piece of bacon to be long enough to wrap around each date. 

Place the bacon wrapped dates, seam side down (or you can secure using toothpicks), and bake on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, until bacon is crispy and brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.