Deviled eggs (aka eggs mimosa) are a perennial favorite. I never tire of them. Have you ever wondered about the origin of the name? The term “deviled” refers to a dish that has some kick or spiciness to it. Ingredients such as Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper are added to mayonnaise along with other savory ingredients and that is what makes the dish “deviled.” With so many variations there is no standard way to make them. Some recipes call for jalapeños, pickle relish, smoked salmon, and so on. My favorite topping is crispy pancetta. Truly delicious.
The conventional wisdom advises against buying the freshest eggs when you want to hard boil them because they are difficult to peel. Why in the world would I look for old eggs? I bought these beauties at Costco. They don’t have “old” eggs because people scoop them up so quickly they don’t have time to sit around on the shelves for very long. That being said, the “conventional wisdom” was correct: they were a bit tricky to peel. I lost a couple of whites but they didn’t go to waste and made a good snack while preparing the deviled eggs for my dinner party.
A foolproof way to hard boil eggs is to place them in a sauce pan, cover with water by an inch or two and bring to a boil (don’t walk away from the stove!). As soon as the water boils turn the heat down to medium and set your timer for 10 minutes. When done, drain sauce pan and run cold water over the boiled eggs. They will be perfectly cooked.
Sieved eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon, chives.
Thin cut pancetta.
Crispy pancetta.
Deviled Eggs with Crispy Pancetta
Ingredients
8 large eggs, boiled
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce pancetta finely diced and fried until crispy
Preparation
Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise and mustard and stir with fork until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Fold in chives.
Pipe filling into egg whites with a pastry bag or use a Ziploc bag (just snip off a corner for a makeshift piping bag). Top deviled eggs with crispy pancetta and minced chives. You can prepare the deviled eggs in the morning, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.