Editor’s note: For 12 days leading up to Christmas, St. George News is featuring staff members’ favorite holiday recipes. Here’s the latest installment.
ST. GEORGE — A little spice goes a long way to bring out the flavor of egg yolk in this essential holiday appetizer.
Deviled eggs have been a Christmas staple in my family for decades. This boiled egg treat is without fail my favorite snack during our holiday brunches.
Growing up, I didn’t have a hand in making deviled eggs, so it was both surprising and heartening to learn how easy it is to make a batch.
These days, the preparation of our family’s holiday d’oeuvre spread falls to my sisters Anna and Grace Witham. Grace takes point on the deviled eggs each year.
Having been in family hands for so long now, our take on deviled eggs apparently doesn’t follow a specific recipe.
“Grace makes them every year and needs no recipe,” my mother Lisa Witham said. “We call it cooking potion-style!”
I’ve never been capable of the magic people like my sisters possess in dreaming up confections that turn out delicious without reading a single line from a cookbook. So this wasn’t especially helpful for a deviled eggs greenhorn like me, but after Anna described what goes into making them, it became much less intimidating.
“Mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika,” she told me, describing the easy list of ingredients required for the egg yolks.
After scouring about a dozen deviled egg recipes, I found a basic rundown of how they’re typically made employing only the ingredients my family uses, which ultimately turned out really well.
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Paprika for garnish
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Carefully add the eggs and boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Carefully place the boiled eggs into a separate bowl of ice water. Allow eggs to cool for 5 minutes.
Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the halved eggs on a large serving dish.
Remove the egg yolks and place them into a mixing bowl with mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and salt.
Use a fork to mash the yolks into a paste and ensure all ingredients are well-stirred.
Scoop portions of the mixture into the egg whites on the serving platter.
Sprinkle each egg with paprika to finish the dish with its classic red spice, from which it derives its devilish namesake.
The eggs are best served as part of a holiday spread. They are the perfect, tangy finger food to go along with other sweet and savory holiday delights.
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