This past weekend my neighbors were grilling it up with their friends from graduate school (and since they just finished up the spring semester, it was quite a party). As the guests pulled in, I realized that I had completely forgotten about the get-together so I scrambled to throw some bites together. I had just finished re-reading one of my favorite cookbooks, The New Spanish Table, and tapas were on my mind.

In looking over the recipes from The New Spanish Table I was surprised to see how easy some of them were, especially the egg section, which was filled with recipes for deviled eggs and other simple egg dishes. Without much else to bring, I threw together an egg salad spread and crossed my fingers that the dish would go over ok with the guests (nobody wants their plate to be left untouched at a potluck).

Surprisingly, the egg salad went over really well, with guests commenting that they couldn’t believe that egg salad could taste so good. The egg salad bites disappeared from the spread pretty quickly, and before you get worried that my ego got out of control and I declared myself potluck champion, let me be clear that I kept my cool. You see, I don’t think that I my particular egg salad was unbelievably good. I think that most other egg salads out there are that bad.

Grab an egg salad sandwich in your average deli or cafeteria and you can bet that the eggs were hard boiled days or weeks ago at a food factory operated miles and miles away. The eggs are then stuck in a liquid bath that keeps them from officially spoiling, and while they may not be decomposing, they taste pretty rotten. The moral to the story is to make sure you ask if they make the egg salad from scratch - if the deli clerk doesn’t know or hesitates, make a new plan.

Egg salad made minutes ago, in your home, by you, with cage-free and organic eggs, is a totally different experience. With a nice, gentle egg flavor and a light texture that isn’t dominated by globs of mayonnaise, homemade egg salad is darn good, super easy to make and a great snack to have on hand.

Egg Salad
(Makes about 3 cups, enough for 4 sandwiches)

• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup finely chopped chives/green onion
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. champagne vinegar

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Set over medium-high heat and bring water to a gentle boil. When the water reaches a boil, immediately remove the pot from the heat and let sit, covered, for eight minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath by filling a large mixing bowl with cool water and adding a few ice cubes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove the eggs from the pot and place in ice water. Allow the eggs to sit for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle.

Crack the eggs on a cutting board and remove the shells. Place eggs in a mixing bowl and use a fork to gently smash. Add the mayonnaise, chives, vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Spread over bread, pitas, or lettuce wraps and serve.

More Egg Salad on the Web:

101 Cookbooks: Curried Egg Salad

Bitten: Fancy Egg Salad