Deviled Eggs are one of the easiest side dishes to take to any gathering and they won’t break the bank. From backyard BBQ’s to Christmas dinner this quick and inexpensive side dish will be appreciated by your host or hostess any time of the year.
I like to jazz my deviled eggs up a little by piping the filling through a large open star tip that I use for decorating cupcakes. If I’m not going for a decorative look I still put the filling into a Ziploc bag that has the end trimmed because it’s so easy to pipe the filling into the eggs rather than spooning it in, but if you prefer just use two spoons to fill the empty eggs.
I like to decorate the top of my deviled eggs by sprinkling a little paprika over the filling, but be certain that you grabbed paprika and not cayenne pepper. Trust me, I know from experience that the red pepper will choke your guests out since I almost choked to death on deviled eggs that my ex sister in law accidentally doused with cayenne many Thanksgivings ago. I can laugh about it now, but it was a pretty scary experience to have your breath taken away unexpectedly.
One recommendation is to remember that since deviled eggs contain mayonnaise, it’s best to keep them refrigerated until ready to consume and to return them to the refrigerator within two hours. I have a serving tray that allows ice to be placed in a lower compartment to keep the food above cold. In a pinch a pan of ice works well too, but pay attention to it or you will have deviled egg boats floating in cold water before you know it.
On a side note, many grocery stores now sell boiled and peeled eggs in the refrigerated section. I know that our local Walmart has them right beside the cartons of eggs. If you are in a hurry and don’t mind paying a premium for them, they taste great and are super helpful to make an easy process even faster.
I hope that you’ll try this recipe today and leave a comment below. Also, for daily updates follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest using the social media icons found on this page.
Recipe for 12 halves.
Boil the eggs as follows. Add 6 uncooked eggs to a pot and cover with water. Place the pot on your stove on a medium high heat. Bring the water up to a boil and continue to boil the eggs for two minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pot of eggs for 11 minutes. After the 11 minutes is up, uncover the pot and drain the eggs. Run cool water over the eggs and shake them vigorously in the pan to form little cracks. Continue running cool water over the eggs until they are cooled. Drain the water and peel the eggs.
Cut the eggs in half and place each yellow hard boiled yolk into a bowl. Put the white halves onto an egg holder plate or regular plate. Use a fork to thoroughly smash your egg yolks. The smaller you pulverize the cooked egg yolks, the better since this will help your deviled eggs to have a smooth texture. Add 2 tbsp. of mayonnaise, 1/2 tbsp. of mustard, 1 tbsp of sweet pickle relish and a dash of salt and pepper to your bowl. Mix all of the ingredients until well blended. Add 1 more Tbsp. of mayonnaise if the egg mixture seems too dry. Also, if you don’t like pickle relish leave it out or substitute dill relish.
At this point spoon the filling into the 12 egg halves or snip the end off of a zippered plastic bag and put the egg mixture into it and then squeeze a dollop into each egg half. I often use a decorative pastry tip (with a large opening to avoid clogs) to make the deviled eggs look extra special. Dust the eggs with dried paprika or leave them plain. Other decorative and tasty toppings include fresh chopped chives and sliced black olives.
