How many deviled eggs per person?
If my Uncle Steve is coming there can never be enough! The number of my mom’s deviled eggs you will need per person will depend on what else you are serving. If mom’s deviled eggs are the star of the buffet at an Easter party figure at least 2+ eggs (4+ halves) per person. If the eggs are going to be one of many rich and tasty appetizers or sides then more like 1 egg per person will work. My uncle on the other hand gets a whole tray for himself.
Tips for hard boiling and peeling deviled eggs
Older eggs often peal easier so use up the ones you already have instead of going out to buy new. According to Kenji López-Alt a few other things are important. Make sure the eggs are kept cold right up to the moment you dunk them in the large pot of boiling water. And when done shock them by dumping them into a bowl of ice water. This stops the eggs from over cooking and helps to make them simpler to peel. I also believe that putting the cooked un-peeled eggs in the fridge overnight helps with peeling.
Mom’s special techniques for perfect deviled eggs
Once you peel and slice you eggs in half. Put all the yolks on to a plate or flat bowl, then use the back of a dinner fork to crumble them up. Do not whip or stir, you have to mash/crumble. Mix the mayo and hot dog relish into the yolks using the same fork method. Also don’t try to pipe this filling into the eggs, it’s too dry and the relish makes it chunky and you will end up very frustrated. Mom and I both agree that you must taste the filling as you go, measuring is not enough.
What to do with leftover deviled eggs
My husband and I love to make a simple breakfast sandwich with the leftover deviled eggs. We toast wheat bread, slather with butter then cut the slice in half. Then put two deviled eggs on one side, we like one egg half face up one face down. On the other side we put a slice of cheese. Grind some fresh salt and pepper over the eggs and enjoy. Of course, you can always just make egg salad, but that’s pretty boring.
My Mom’s Deviled Eggs
My mom's deviled egg recipe, its a classic version that uses hot dog relish for tons of flavor. The recipe also includes ideas on how many eggs per person, what to do with leftovers and ways to make the eggs peel better.
Ingredients
- 1 dozen eggs
- 2-4 Tbsp mayo or Miracle Whip
- 3-6 Tbsp hot dog relish kind with the mustard in it
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Carefully put in the cold eggs. Wait 30 seconds. Put on the lid and turn the heat down to slow simmer. Set timer for 11 minutes.
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When the time has passed put the hot eggs directly into a big bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes. If time allows, I like to refrigerate the eggs overnight before peeling. Peel your eggs.
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Slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks.
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Using a fork mash up the yolks and add about half the mayo and half the relish. Taste! Add more relish and mayo getting the flavor and texture that you like. Don’t forget to adjust the Salt and pepper to your preference.
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Using two small spoons put dollops of filling into each egg half.
Eggcellent
Whenever I make deviled eggs I think of my mother and I making them for a dear friend’s birthday party about ten or more years ago. We made dozens and dozens and dozens of eggs, peeling until our fingers were raw. We bought every party supply in town out of those cute little plastic deviled egg trays and when we drove, very carefully, to the party the entire back of my mother’s SUV was stacked full of egg trays. The caterer at the party swooped in and got all the trays out of the car thinking we were crazy for making so many eggs. Well we were spot on; the staff could not bring trays of eggs out fast enough everyone at the party was gorging on these simple deviled eggs. The birthday “girl” was so thrilled with her gift of eggs, I will never forget it. This is one of those food memories that I will always treasure as Diane is no longer with us. Bringing joy to friends and family is why I cook, and this will always be a favorite memory.
Special Thank You
I want to give a special thank you to my friend and neighbor Jenny Knight whose chickens produced the pretty whole eggs that are in these photos. During this Covid-19 lock down eggs have been hard to come by and my gracious neighbor gifted me with two dozen of her gorgeous farm fresh eggs. This gave me plenty of eggs to indulge my husband with a tray of deviled eggs one of his favorite snacks.
Great recipe, and lovely memory.
Glad you liked it!