Devilishly Salted Eggs

Happy Easter. Easter makes me think of one thing…eggs. I think of of rabbits as well, but this recipe is for eggs. I love deviled eggs and in my family they have been a cherished item on a celebratory occasion. My mother would always have to carefully guard her tray as my Uncle Jerry would see how many he could eat before a party even began, causing a giddy game of cat and mouse.

In this recipe, I made use of my standard formula for the yolk filling. However, I backed way off of the salt I used in the filling because I finished the eggs with two flavors of Secret Stash Sea Salt – Bloody Mary and Nicoise Olive. I will give you a list of other topping ideas at the end of the recipe.

Start with a dozen eggs. Hard boil them. That sounds so easy, yet when you go on-line and look up how to boil an egg, you will be amazed at what seems to be an endless list of possibilities. How to hard boil an egg may be one of the most controversial culinary conundrums that exists to this day.

Here is my final choice method on how to hard boil eggs:

Gently place the eggs in a pot, in a single layer. Use a pot that fits the single layer of eggs comfortably and doesn’t leave two much rolling room. Cover the eggs with water that goes a good inch above the eggs. Bring the pot to a boil on medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute if using large eggs and 2 minutes if you are using extra-large eggs. Shut down the heat, move the pot to a cool burner and cover. Leave eggs in covered pot for 20 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water and leave in an ice bath until cooled completely.

Peel eggs and slice in half, removing and reserving yolks. Don’t throw anything away. Broken whites can quickly become egg salad when chopped and mixed with extra filling!

For the filling you will need:
mayonnaise (1/2 a c. to start)
horseradish (T)
Creole or cracked mustard (2 T)
apple cider vinegar (T)
cayenne and white pepper
a touch of kosher salt
hot sauce (5 good dashes)

Note: I place the measurements as a starting point in parenthesis. No batch is ever the same…the amount that the yolk yield always vary. You have to feel this one out and keep adding until you get the right zing in the mix that is right for you.

If you have one, run the yolks through a potato ricer. This gives them a nice texture. Mash with a fork or small potato masher and do not over mix as the mix can easily become too runny. When your mix is complete use a pastry bag or a ziploc bag to pipe the filling into the eggs.

As I said, I used some flavor infused sea salts from Secret Stash – Bloody Mary and Nicoise Olive. Here is a list of other great toppings:
- Toasted capers
- Smoked salmon and red onion
- Chopped bread and butter pickles
- Crispy bacon
- Sliced green or black olives
- Chopped arugula
- Cured balsamic tomatoes or sun dried tomatoes

Enjoy and Happy Egg Day!

Tagged as: deviled eggs, easter, hardboiled, how to boil an egg, toppings