Deviled Egg Salad

Every so often Mike will shuffle up to me, with a pleading “puppy dog” look on his face and ask, “Will you do me a big favor?” Right away, I know what he’s craving. He wants me to whip him up a batch of egg salad. Don’t get me wrong, egg salad is simple enough to make. I have no problem making it for him anytime he wants it; but, I need to do it with a clothespin on my nose. There is something about the smell of hard boiled eggs that I find truly unpleasant. The odor just seems to linger around the house for what seems like forever. However, I always cave in when hubby requests egg salad. After all, Mike is more than patient when it comes to being my “official” taste tester. The last few times I made this, Mike kept asking, “did you put this recipe up on the blog, yet?” I kept responding, “no, it’s just egg salad.” He firmly disagreed, and told me I needed to share this recipe. Actually, this has all the same ingredients I’ve used in deviled eggs for years, and they’ve always been a hit; so maybe Mike is right! I think of it as just eggs, but the seasoning does make all the difference; and it's versatile enough to adapt to your preferences.

The number of eggs in this recipe is going to seem weird. That's because, last time I made this, I just used up what we had left in the house. Normally, I would use a dozen eggs; but I only had 9 on-hand that day, so I adapted the seasoning for that quantity of eggs.

Place eggs in pot of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a rolling boil, continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain hot water from pot and continue to add cold water to pot until water is completely cool, or add ice cubes to water, to quickly cool. (Actually, some cooks say after the water boils, you can then cover and let stand, off the heat, for 12 to 15 minutes and get the same results. I'm sure that would work fine, as well. I prefer to let it boil for a few minutes longer, just to be on the safe side.) With either method, the yolk will be nice and yellow, without the grayish shadow around the edges of the yolk, that results from over-cooking.

Peel eggs. The easiest way to peel the eggs is to firmly tap each end of the egg on a hard surface (such as the counter top), to crack the shell. You can also roll the egg on the counter top to crack the shell. Begin peeling the egg by starting at the wide end of the egg, which is where there is an air pocket, an easy access point. Using the side of your thumb, remove both the shell and the white, filmy membrane just beneath the shell. Rinse the eggs under cool water to remove any shell residue. Then wipe dry with a paper towel.

Chop the eggs. An egg slicer works best for this. Put eggs in medium size bowl. Add mayonnaise. Start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, then add more as needed, or until desired consistency. Add spices. Stir well to combine. Taste. Add more mayonnaise, or spices, as needed.

There are so many other variations for this recipe. Try adding dill, or replacing the dry mustard with Dijon mustard. Some cooks add relish, or fresh celery (instead of the celery seed), or green onions (instead of onion powder). I've even heard of chopped olives being added. Replace some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, to lighten up the dish. Or, add a little hot sauce to spice it up a bit. This recipe is the way Mike likes it best; but it's versatile enough to tweak to your personal preference.

Make a sandwich, wrap, or serve on crackers. Garnish with lettuce and crumbled bacon, and even a little parsley, if desired. 

DEVILED EGG SALAD
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed, plus a pinch
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus a pinch
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Cooked, crumbled bacon, for garnish, if desired
• Lettuce leaves, for garnish, if desired
• Parsley, for garnish, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place eggs in pot of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a rolling boil, continue
    boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain hot water from pot
    and continue to add cold water to pot until water is completely cool, or add ice cubes to water, to
    quickly cool. Peel eggs. Rinse under cool water to remove any shell residue. Dry with paper towel.
2. Chop eggs. An egg slicer works best. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise to eggs. Add spices. Stir to
    combine. Add more mayonnaise, as needed. Taste. Adjust seasonings, as desired.
3. Garnish with crumbled bacon, lettuce and parsley, if desired.
4. Serve in wraps for a brunch, on crackers as an appetizer, or on toast for lunch.

Note: To lighten up the recipe, substitute some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

Variations:  Add dill; green onions, Dijon mustard (instead of dry mustard), celery (instead of celery seed), relish, chopped olives, etc.