Dijon Deviled Eggs

We're going to do things a little differently this time! Instead of doing a post for one of my mom's recipes, I'm going to do a recipe that I came up with! A couple of reasons...first: as prolific a cook as my mom was, she did have a finite number of recipes and I will run out eventually, so I thought it might be fun to sprinkle in some of my own as I go on this journey. Doing so much cooking has really inspired me to tweak other recipes I find and come up with my own (even though this one is RIDICULOUSLY easy, please don't laugh at me!) Another reason is that whenever I come up with a new recipe, even something as simple as deviled eggs, I immediately want to share it with my mom and get her take on it. I hope she would like what I've come up with. I think she would. So I'm still in the kitchen with Mom. :)

Ok, so my husband and I looooove deviled eggs. We love trying different variations when we go out to new restaurants. Sometimes chefs get crazy with them. Wasabi deviled eggs? Beet deviled eggs? Really? And something they get fancy schmancy, like caviar deviled eggs. Yum, but who can afford to make that at home? We've tried so many different kinds! After a while, I sort of had an intuitive sense of what would make a great deviled egg. I spent a long time tinkering with ingredients and ratios and at last...I'm pretty sure I nailed it. My husband has declared that they are the best deviled eggs in the world. Now, whenever we order deviled eggs as an appetizer at a restaurant, we always stack them up against my recipe. And, at the risk of sounding immodest, mine pretty much always come out on top! I'm so psyched to share this (very simple!) recipe with you and I hope you love it as much as we do.

Ok, so before we get into it, does anyone else out there struggle with hard-boiling eggs? I used to! They would always come out too hard or too soft, the shells wouldn't come off easily, and all the usual problems. But after so much trial and error, I've got it down to a science. So I'm going to share my no-fail method. If you're a hard-boiled pro, feel free to skip ahead.

Fool Proof Hard-Boiled Eggs

Place eggs in a small pot with enough water to cover them and a dash of apple cider vinegar (this helps the shells to come off later!)
Bring the water to a rolling boil
Once boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes
After ten minutes, drain the water and immediately add eggs to an ice bath (I use a small bowl and fill it with ice cubes and enough water to cover the eggs again)
Leave in the fridge for 5-10 minutes, or until completely cool
To peel, rap the egg on a hard surface on the top and bottom – one side (usually the bottom) will have an air bubble between the shell and the egg that makes it easier to peel
Run the eggs under as hot of water as you can stand while you peel the rest of the shell and they should come off without a problem

And there you have it, folks! My no-fail method for hard-boiling!

So now that we're all egg experts, let's get into making the best-ever dijon deviled eggs!

To begin with, this recipe is for two people, so you'll need 3 eggs. For the filling, you're going to need mayonnaise, prepared horseradish, and stone-ground Dijon mustard. Stone ground is super important! In my opinion, that's what makes these as good as they are. For the topping, you'll need paprika, panko breadcrumbs, and either fresh parsley or cooked bacon.

Once you've peeled your hard-boiled eggs, slice each one in half and scoop the yolk into a bowl. To the yolks, add 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of stone-ground Dijon mustard, half a teaspoon of prepared horseradish, and a generous pinch each of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Stir to combine. Your mixture should be lumpy, but fully moistened and homogenous (look at me, breaking out the fancy science words!)

Next, scoop an equal part of the mixture back into each of the egg halves. You *could* pipe it in, like they do in grocery stores and fancy restaurants, but I much prefer how it looks when you just drop it in with a spoonful. It looks much more rustic, homemade, and (in my opinion) yummier!

Arrange your eggs on whatever serving platter you choose – I use a little marble cheese board. Then sprinkle generously with paprika and breadcrumbs over the top. Then, add either a sprig of fresh parsley or a chip of cooked bacon to the top of each. Bacon is way more delicious, in this humble cook's opinion, but sometimes you just don't have any on hand. In which case, the pop of green from the parsley can be very nice.

And there you have it, folks! My devilishly good Dijon deviled eggs! They're so super easy and always a hit! If you make them, please let me know how they turn out. I would love for my easy, made-up recipe to be your new favorite deviled eggs, just like they are for my husband and me. Bon Appétit and much love from me! XOXO