Food & Drink

Deviled Eggs Five Ways

Who doesn’t love deviled eggs? Deviled eggs know no time or demographic, they are just blissfully democratic appetizers. They are in the same category as pigs in a blanket: Everyone is happy to see them and sophisticated people shed their cool when they appear. You can’t be annoyed when there are deviled eggs around; it would be like being irritated in the presence of a puppy or a rainbow.

But while a straightforward deviled egg is always a pretty sight, sometimes a little pop of exciting flavor is called for. Below is a simple, perfect deviled egg. The Fork in the Road offers versions that are something to talk about.

Deviled Eggs Five Ways

Makes 24 deviled egg halves

INGREDIENTS

12 hard-boiled large eggs, peeled (see Making Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs below)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Few dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco or sriracha
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Paprika for garnish (optional—skip it if you are using any of the Fork in the Road options below)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully remove each yolk and place it in the bowl of a food processor (or a medium-size mixing bowl). Place the egg whites on a serving platter, cut side up.
Add the mayonnaise, shallot, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to the egg yolks. Pulse the mixture if you want it to be a bit coarse, let it run if you are looking for supersmooth. Or, if you prefer, mash the ingredients together in a bowl with a fork until smooth and well blended.
You can continue with Step 4 or see the Fork in the Road for even more devilish eggs.
Fill a sturdy zipper-top bag with the filling and cut a little hole in one bottom corner. Squeeze the filling into the egg whites to make attractive mounds. Or simply scoop the filling into the egg whites with a spoon. Sprinkle the yolks with paprika for a final touch.

What the Kids Can Do: Mash up the filling, decide which seasonings to add, fill the eggs—piping in the filling is one of the best kid kitchen tasks ever.

Make Ahead: The hard-boiled eggs can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and stored, in their shells, in the fridge. Peeled eggs can be stored well covered for 2 days. Filled deviled eggs can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for a day. Add final toppings just before serving.

Making Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs: Place the eggs (this recipe calls for 12) in a large saucepan and add water to cover by at least an inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Allow the water to boil for 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs sit in the water for 9 minutes. Drain and let sit in a bowl of very cold water for a few minutes.

Peeling the eggs while they’re still slightly warm often makes it easier to remove the shells in big pieces, so you don’t have to chip them off and mess up the eggs. Tap them lightly and give them a quick roll on the counter to crackle up the shells. Return them to the water because it often helps to peeling the eggs while they are submerged, or under running water. Peel carefully. (See the Make Ahead tip if making the eggs in advance).

Fork in the Road: The amounts below are for flavoring the whole batch of 24 egg halves. You can also fill half the eggs with the plain filling mixture, and season the rest of the filling with half the amount of any of the following.

Avocado and Bacon Deviled Eggs: When you mash up the yolk-mayonnaise mixture, add 1 nice ripe avocado cut into chunks and a little squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Once filled, sprinkle some nice fat crumbles of crisp cooked bacon on top of the filling.
Goat Cheese and Chive Deviled Eggs: Use either soft or slightly crumbly goat cheese, ⅓ to ½ cup for a dozen eggs, depending on how pungent the cheese is. You can either blend the cheese right into the yolk filling, or sprinkle it on top of the mounded filling. A few chopped chives on top add color and additional flavor, or a sprinkle of minced jalapeños add “hey now!”
Middle Eastern Deviled Eggs: Za’atar is an amazing seasoning that is a somewhat grassy, nutty, and slightly tart blend of herbs that is used often in Middle Eastern cooking. It usually contains thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds, but blends might also include oregano, marjoram, cumin, or fennel seed. Mix 1 teaspoon za’atar and ¼ teaspoon cumin into the yolk filling. Sprinkle the filled egg halves with additional toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Deviled Eggs with Lemon, Capers, and Chives: These are bright and lively. Blend 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons rinsed, drained, and chopped capers, and 2 tablespoons minced chives into the yolk filling.

Dinner Solved!
by Katie Workman

From the bestselling author of The Mom 100 Cookbook (named one of the Five Best Weeknight Cookbooks of the Past 25 Years by Cooking Light) comes Dinner Solved! 100 Ingenious Recipes That Make the Whole Family Happy, Including YOU! With this cookbook, flexible recipes promise no more cranky eaters, no more dinner table strife, and no more unsure or stressed-out cook.