Devilled eggs: no dish so readily conjures summers on the back deck, picnics, barbecues, church basements, impromptu patio gatherings…

As discussed in my poetically titled Simmering Eggs in their Shell post, old eggs are the only eggs that will peel easily.  They are ideal for devilled eggs.

My personal recipe for devilled eggs follows, a little more complex than the standard mustard, paprika, and white vinegar. Mighty tasty with a beer or cider.

Devilled Eggs

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs – preferably eggs that have been in your fridge for a couple weeks
• water for boiling those eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp hot mustard
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• kosher salt to taste
• garnish: sweet paprika, black pepper, finely chopped chives, finely julienned radish if you have it

Procedure

1. To cook the eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Gently lower eggs into pot, then reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer for exactly 15 minutes.  Transfer eggs to a container and cover with cold water.  Chill thoroughly before peeling.
2. Peel eggs and cut cleanly in half.  Remove cooked yolk to a bowl.  Transfer cooked hollowed whites to a dish.
3. Add mayonnaise, mustard, sweet paprika, celery salt, smoked hot paprika, black pepper, and vinegar to the cooked egg yolk.  Mash thoroughly with a fork.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Transfer mixture to a piping bag.
4. Pipe egg yolk mixture into hollowed whites.  Add enough yolk mixture so that it completely fills the hollow and rises above the level of the whites.
5. Shake sweet paprika and black pepper over top of the eggs.  Garnish with finely chopped chives and finely julienned radish.

Yield: 12 Devilled Eggs