Deviled Egg Salad (back)

An Egg Salad for Summer

Remember summers as a kid? When I was young, summers seemed to stretch on forever. Days were spent lollygagging along the river, trying to catch minnows, dipping in here and there to stay cool.

Summer meant pick-up games of "pickle" on the quiet street in front of our house, stealing bases, and hoping the kid with the ball would overshoot.

It seemed almost every day the ice cream truck came by, our highly trained ears could pick up the tune blocks away. If there was a pool, we played "MARCO POLO" (caps for emphasis, we were loud) for hours and hours.

How did our parents put up with us? Oh yeah, they didn't, they pretty much ignored us most of the time. At least during the summer.

Sigh. So, what does this flood of memories have to do with deviled egg salad?

Nothing! Other than summer is a perfect time for an egg salad, right?

How To Serve This Egg Salad

This egg salad has all the classic flavors of deviled eggs but in salad form. It's an excellent dish to bring to a summer or end-of-summer potluck. Just make sure to leave it out no more than 2 hours, after which it should be refrigerated. Serve it over a few pieces of butter lettuce, or spread on a slice of bread or toast.

Make-Ahead Tips for Egg Salad

If you need to make ahead, you can hard boil the eggs a day or two before making the salad, or just make the salad a day or two ahead. The salad will keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 12 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon cider, white or sherry vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon freashly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)

Method:

1. Hard boil the eggs:

   The easiest way to make hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel is to steam them. Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and insert a steamer basket. (If you don't have a steamer basket, that's ok.)

   Bring the water to a boil, gently place the eggs in the steamer basket or directly in the saucepan. Cover the pot. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Remove eggs and set in icy cold water to cool.

2. Prep the eggs and veggies:

   Chop the eggs coarsely and put them into a large bowl. Add the green onion, celery, and red bell pepper.

3. Make the dressing and combine with egg mixture:

   In small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, vinegar, and Tabasco. Gently stir the mayo dressing into the bowl with the eggs and vegetables. Add the paprika and salt and black pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.

   Best served chilled. The salad will keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.