Egg Salad

I am suspicious of some foods unless I make them myself. Egg Salad is one of them. I never even ate egg salad at all until a few years ago. And it is was not a favorite with Pritchard Parker either.

I have seen little egg salad finger sandwiches served at fancy events; bridesmaid luncheons, receptions, socials, and teas, all my life. But boiled eggs mashed together with mayonnaise into a yellow paste, then spread on fluffy white sandwich bread with the crusts cut off, never appealed to me. Even when cut into cute little triangles and stacked on silver trays. 

Then I had leftover Easter Eggs and decided to try egg salad as a way to use them. I made it very simply, with minimal mayo and no mustard (even though I do love mustard and have at least 5 varieties in my kitchen right now) plus a couple of other touches.  It was not bad. Although "not bad" is not a goal in my cooking, I felt less prejudiced against egg salad. 

And now I can say I have experimented with egg salad a few times.  And I have seen many recipes for it. There are as many ways to make it as there are cooks' imaginations. I've seen it made with bacon and cheese, which seems like a pretty natural combination with eggs. Alice makes hers with mashed ripe avocado rather than mayonnaise.

A couple of days ago, Pritchard Parker came home with a jar of Boar's Head Sweet Pickle Chips with Horseradish. I could. not. stop. eating. those pickles. They were delicious!  Because I had already been thinking about Easter Eggs, I decided to make an egg salad with those pickles. We loved it.

Easter Egg Salad

6 hard boiled eggs, coarsely diced

1 Tbsp. finely chopped sweet onion

3 Tbsp. sweet pickles, chopped

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Gently combine ingredients. Chill thoroughly before serving. 

Serve on whole wheat toast with extra pickle slice.