So, periodically fate steps in between me and my good intentions. This time, my intention was to make Breakfast Deviled Eggs with Bacon for a recent brunch I was hosting. Right!! And because I had planned very carefully and purchased my eggs the week before they were to be boiled and peeled, I thought peeling the eggs would be a snap. Wrong!! I must have purchased the freshest eggs in the greater Seattle area. Because not one (not even one) out of the 16 eggs I boiled peeled like it should have! I was so disgusted. (And yes I boiled them the way I always do, so it wasn’t my fault! It was the darned eggs fault! My story and I’m sticking to it!) So what to do with 16 eggs that look like the surface of the moon, complete with dead volcanoes, impact craters, and white lava flows?

Well considering myself to be a resourceful cook, I decided to use only 12 of them, and make egg salad. And by golly, there was rejoicing at Chez Carr. The only error I made was adding the bacon to the mixture on Saturday. (The event was on Sunday.) I should have waited and added the bacon just before I planned to serve because it lost its crisp texture sitting with wetter ingredients overnight. Lesson learned. (I made sure I included that information in my instructions below. Don’t want you making the same mistake I did!)

But regardless, the salad was absolutely decadent and my guests gobbled it up. Served on a crisp butter cracker, it was just a perfect way to serve my guests bacon and eggs.

Now, of course what will happen when you try this recipe, is that the eggs will peel beautifully. (It’s going to happen to me too the next time I want egg salad. So I have also written this recipe up as Breakfast Deviled Eggs with Bacon. Got to cover all my bases!)

So please enjoy both recipes. And don’t buy your eggs at Grocery Outlet if you don’t want really fresh eggs. Just sayin’. (Love Grocery Outlet BTW. Among other unusual items, they carry a great selection of sausage and cheeses at a terribly decent price.)

Please note: I recently discovered a great way to boil eggs. I have tried it 3 times now, and it has worked beautifully each time. See below for technical instructions.

BREAKFAST EGG SALAD WITH BACON

• ½ c. light mayonnaise
• ½ c. low fat sour cream
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. lean bacon, cut into small pieces and fried until crisp, divided
• ¼ c. chopped fresh chives
• 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and shredded with a cheese grater (largest grate)

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper, three-fourths of the bacon*, and chives. Adjust seasoning. Gently stir in the grated eggs. Scoop into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining bacon. Serve with plain butter crackers.

*If you are preparing well ahead of when you plan to serve, set the bacon aside. Refrigerate the rest until about a half hour before you plan to serve. Then stir three-fourths of the bacon into the egg mixture and top with the remaining one-fourth. Serve immediately.

BREAKFAST DEVILED EGGS WITH BACON

• 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
• ¼ c. light mayonnaise, or more as needed
• ¼ c. low fat sour cream, or more as needed
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ lb. lean bacon, cut into small pieces and fried until crisp, divided
• 2 T. chopped fresh chives
• paprika

Remove yolks from the halved eggs and place in a bowl. Mash the yolks with the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper, most of the bacon, and chives. Add additional mayonnaise and sour cream to reach desired consistency. Adjust seasoning.

Using a very small ice cream scoop or teaspoon, scoop mixture into each egg white. Sprinkle with paprika and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

HARD BOILED EGGS

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then gently lower eggs (whatever amount) into the water. (I use a wire colander for this.) Lower the heat so that the eggs cook at a gentle simmer. (You don’t want a full rolling boil, just a gentle amount of bubbles.) Cook for 13 minutes for large eggs; 14 minutes for extra-large eggs.

When the eggs are finished cooking, transfer to an ice bath for 7 minutes. (And yes, you do need an ice bath for this step. Just cooling them under cold water isn’t sufficient.)

After 7 minutes, the eggs will be cool to the touch. Against your counter top, give the eggs several taps all over. Then “happy peeling”.

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