Dec 19, 2020

Mamma's Deviled Eggs

No holiday would be complete without this deviled egg recipe.

At Christmas and New Year's growing up, the preparation of the deviled eggs always fell to my sister and me. Though my sister ran the show, I was very much a part of the process. So, I guess you could say I've been making deviled eggs since before I was old enough to wield a knife.

Over all those years, we've had lots of opportunity to get my mom's recipe just right, then learn how to break all the rules without turning these into an inedible monstrosity. It all comes down to getting the right amount of mustard tang to mayo sweetness.

Once you have the base recipe right, toppings can be as simple or as elaborate as the occasion calls for. Some examples are:

sprinkle of paprika and a few pieces of chopped green onion (classic)
thin strips of smoked salmon and a spring of fresh parsley
crumbled bacon
finely chopped sweet red pepper
smoked herring and a hint of cayenne pepper
finely chopped chili pepper and a sprig of fresh cilantro

These will last 3 or 4 days covered in the refrigerator though ours seemed to disappear in far less time.

TIP: To lower the fat content, replace the melted butter with 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or use a plant-based butter.

Ingredients

(Makes 6 servings | Serving size = 2 halves)

12 large eggs, hardboiled and shell removed
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon or standard yellow)
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium saucepan, boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and douse eggs in cold water. Once eggs are cold enough to handle, peel off their shells.

Carefully cut each egg in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolk and place in a mixing bowl while the outer whites can be placed on a plate or serving tray and set aside.

In a small saucepot, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Pour the melted butter or margarine in with the egg yolks and combine. Add the mustard and mayonnaise and whip until well combined.

Taste the mixture and adjust to suit your palette. If it is too tangy, add a little additional mayo. If not quite tangy enough, add a tiny bit more mustard and test again. Once the balance seems right to you, add a little salt, pepper, and again, mix very well.

Pipe the yolk mixture back into the egg whites evenly and top with your preferred garnish.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: