Classic Egg Salad (Only Better)

(Yeah, you can see a little of that blue/green dye leaked on to the eggs. Don't you just love Easter traditions?)

When I was growing up, we took our extra eggs and rolled them down a hill to see whose shell would come off first. I recall it being a race of some sort, although I don't remember if the winner was the first egg down the hill or the first egg to lose its shell or the last egg to lose its shell. At any rate, it was loads of fun. In fact, cheapskate or not, I count it as a great way to use up those Easter eggs because it was such a squeal-with-delight Easter activity.

However, I recognize that there are those among you who would rather not roll their eggs down the hill or perhaps have so very many eggs that you can roll your egg and eat it too. In this case, let me recommend these egg salad sandwiches.

Which isn't a recommendation I give lightly. You see, I don't really care for egg salad sandwiches. Every year on Easter or the day after we whip up a batch. Every year they look pretty good. And every year I take a bite or two and call it good.

This year, I decided to do something radical. I decided to consult a cookbook. And sure enough, there on page 122 of my Best Recipes (Cook's Illustrated) Cookbook was a recipe for egg salad. It didn't look too earth shattering, but then I had nothing to lose so I made it.

They recommended cutting (as opposed to mashing with a fork) the eggs. I actually didn't think I'd like it since I'm a greater lover of mayonnaise than of hard boiled eggs, but I decided to exercise a bit of faith. It called for mayo, onion, a little bit of lemon juice, celery and parsley. I subbed onion powder for the onion and left out the celery, knowing that those ingredients would deter the only reliable egg salad eater in the family.

And when it was done? Oh me, oh my. It was GREAT. I still don't know quite why it was so great. I think I have the larger bits of egg to thank (apparently, egg paste and I just aren't on good terms; who knew) and the lemon, which adds a something something I never would have thought to add on my own (even though recently I read that egg and lemon were really good bedfellows; I wasn't quite a believer, but now...).

So even if you aren't an egg salad aficionado, you might want to give this just one more try. If you're not planning to hurtle some defenseless eggs down a hill, you've got nothing left to lose.

Classic Egg Salad
adapted from The Best Recipe Cookbook
Prep time: 5 minutes if eggs already cooked
Cost: $.90
eggs: .60 (more like .30 around here lately), mayo: .20, other stuff: .10

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard (regular will do too)
small dash onion powder (probably 1/8 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped small
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped small

Hard boil eggs if you haven't. (Bring to hard boil, cover, turn off heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.)

Remove shell from eggs. I recommend giving the top and bottom a good bonk on the counter and then rolling the middles back and forth. Then peel starting at the end with the air pocket. This usually makes it easier for me to get those eggs out.

Dice eggs into 1/2-inch bits. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

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