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Debonaire Deviled Eggs

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Appetizers" by Denise Gee


Recipe Introduction

"I grew up thinking of these as 'bedeviled' eggs after witnessing one too many boiled-egg massacres by my mother. She called them 'hard-bald' eggs—which to my young mind made perfect sense; but what didn't make sense was how she got them to be so pitted, dented, cracked, and torn, unlike my friends' mothers' eggs. Thus, I spent many years being intimidated by the process until I learned the secret to making them look, and taste, darn near perfect. (One of the tricks involves a pushpin.)"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 12 large eggs
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
â—¦ 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground black pepper
â—¦ Sprigs of fresh savory or another herb for garnish (optional)


Recipe

Turn the eggs bottom- (wider-) side up in the carton. Use a pushpin to delicately poke one hole squarely in each center. Fill a large saucepan or small Dutch oven with 2 to 2 ½ quarts of water (enough to cover the eggs; use two pans if cooking all the eggs at once). Bring the water to a rolling boil. Use a slotted spoon to add six eggs to the pan (working quickly but carefully to get them in at the same time); boil the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the eggs sit for 6 minutes (for slightly soft yolks; add about 40 seconds for firmer yolks).

Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and place it on a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining six eggs. Let the eggs cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before peeling. (Store in the refrigerator, unpeeled, for up to 1 week; peeled, for up to 4 days.)

Peel the eggs under cool running water. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, gently scooping out the yolks into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, three-fourths of the crumbled bacon (if using), pickle relish, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine (and adjust the seasonings as desired). Use a small spoon (or better yet, a piping bag) to insert the filling into the egg halves. Garnish with the remaining chopped bacon and savory, if desired, before serving.

Serves 8 to 12
(two or three halves each)