Devilled eggs

2. Making the devilled eggs

While some recipes will just call for mashing the filling, is so much nicer if it’s fully smooth and fluffy – easy to achieve with a quick blitz.

1. Remove yolks – Cut the eggs in half, marvel at how the yolk is centred (for most of them!). Scoop the yolks out with a teaspoon.

2. Creamy devilled eggs filling – Put the yolks and all filling ingredients EXCEPT the butter into a small food processor. Blitz until the yolks are broken up. Add the butter then blitz until there are no butter lumps remaining, scraping down the sides as needed. The filling should be smooth (smear with back of spoon to check).

   💡Blitzing tool – I use a mini food processor that came with my stick blender. Handheld electric beater works too, like making frosting! Stick blender doesn’t work (gets stuck in blades). For a regular food processor or stand mixer, either use a small bowl insert or expect to scrape down the sides a fair few times. Hand method – Use softened butter, smear/mash until smooth, push through a fine sieve.

3. Fill – Choose the best 18 to 20 egg white halves. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice (I use a star tip), though even no nozzle is fine too. Pipe the filling in generously in whatever pattern you choose, mounding it to around the same size of a whole yolk.

   💡As noted above in the ingredients sections, 12 eggs will make 18 – 20 filled halves. Eat the spare egg white halves (so healthy!), or chop them up and throw into a salad.

4. Garnish – Sprinkle with paprika and chives. Then serve!

Even better the next day!

And my last pitch for devilled eggs is sheer convenience for make ahead and storage purposes. They are great today, but even better tomorrow once the filling flavours have had a chance to meld. They keep perfectly for 3 to 4 days in the fridge – possibly even 5 days (though I feel like 4 days is my limit for peeled eggs).

Make them today and take them to a party this weekend. Or think, meal prep! Make a batch and enjoy it with a big leafy salad on the side. This is what I’ve been doing all week, having made two batches in the last 48 hours alone, plus the multiple batches my brother made (who did the leg work creating this recipe). There have been a LOT of devilled eggs in my vicinity over the past week! –