Spanish Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Manchego and Marcona Almonds for Fall Parties

Heat the oven to 425F (220C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then set a wire rack on top so the bacon crisps on all sides.

Serves 8 (24 pieces)

Ingredients

• 24 large Medjool dates
• 4 ounces (115 g) Manchego cheese, cut into 24 small batons
• 24 roasted Marcona almonds (or roasted salted almonds)
• 12 slices thin-cut bacon, halved crosswise
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme leaves, to garnish
• 24 wooden toothpicks, soaked in water for 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425F (220C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then set a wire rack on top so the bacon crisps on all sides.
2. Slit each date along one side and remove the pit, keeping the date in one piece.
3. Tuck one baton of Manchego and one almond into each cavity and press the date closed around the filling.
4. Wrap each stuffed date snugly in a half slice of bacon, overlapping the ends on the bottom, and secure with a soaked toothpick.
5. Arrange the dates seam-side down on the rack, leaving space between them, and brush lightly with olive oil.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, turn each date over, then bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until the bacon is browned and crisp and the cheese is just melting at the edges.
7. While they bake, whisk the sherry, honey and smoked paprika together in a small bowl.
8. Transfer the hot dates to a platter, brush or drizzle with the sherry-honey glaze, and finish with flaky salt, a grind of pepper and a scatter of thyme leaves.
9. Serve warm; they can be stuffed and wrapped a day ahead, refrigerated, and baked just before guests arrive.
10. Datiles con bacon are a fixture of tapas bars from Madrid to Malaga, a three-bite lesson in the Spanish instinct for pairing sweet with salty and rich with sharp. The dates themselves are an inheritance from the Moorish palm groves of Elche, the almonds and sheep's-milk Manchego from the plains of La Mancha, and the smoky bacon ties it all together. Passed around warm on a dark November evening with a glass of chilled fino sherry, they disappear faster than almost anything else on the table.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 210 kcal
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 9g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 290mg