Aunt Patty’s Heavenly Deviled Eggs

Growing up, I remember eating gobs and gobs of deviled eggs at almost all our family gatherings.

We loved them! Seemed like we could not get enough.

In our big Irish family, they were a staple!

In fact, deviled eggs were so much a part of our family, that the kids were all gifted the glass deviled egg serving dishes, with each section in the shape of the egg, so that we would be sure to continue this tradition into the next generation.

How Aunt Patty’s Heavenly Eggs Were Born!

This past year, the night before Thanksgiving, I’m not sure what happened, but something, (probably my creative ADHD side), was tugging at me to create an updated version of this time-honored tradition.

Who knows why these feelings happen, but in this case I’m glad it did!

I ended up staying up most of the night experimenting with a few different combinations to find the one I hoped the whole family would still recognize and of course love at the same time.

On Thanksgiving Day, I brought the eggs to our family dinner and they were such a hit that everyone said they were the best deviled eggs they ever had.

This is way beyond what I wished for, so I renamed them to Aunt Patty’s “Heavenly” Eggs.

And now, I’ll pass this recipe on to the next generation and hopefully, they will send it forward.

So, from my heart to yours, please enjoy Aunt Patty’s “heavenly” deviled eggs.

Shopping List:

2 1/2 dozen large eggs – of course more for a larger family. (Buy these 5 days ahead of when you will cook them. I like the organic white or brown eggs).

1-2 pounds of thick bacon, depending on how many eggs you are cooking. (I like the kind at Trader Joes or Whole Foods without the nitrates or nitrites).

Best Foods (or Hellman’s mayonnaise) – this is big deal if you want them to have just the right taste. Other mayos just don’t come close to the flavor these brands create.

Good quality Dijon mustard – Grey Poupon has a good one (make sure there is no other spice, or it will change the taste of the recipe)

Good quality regular yellow mustard – Annie’s has an organic one, and Heinz and has one but there are lots of great brands – just get the plain yellow mustard (no extra spices)

Use Coarse ground (stone ground) mustard with seeds – Grey Poupon has a good one, and Trader Joes has their own brand

Salt (I use the Himalayan pink salt)

Lemon juice – you can either use fresh lemons or that little lemon container most stores have

Vlasic’s dill pickle relish

Vlasic’s sweet pickle relish

Paprika – smoked or regular

About 6 bunches of green onions with the nice long green chives attached – you’ll need lots of chives for decorating the top of the eggs and you place the onion part in the heavenly egg mix

1-pound thick bacon (more if you really like it) minus the nitrates or nitrites if you can find it. Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods has it for sure.

Pro Secret TIPS!

Make sure you buy the eggs about 5 days ahead of the day you are going to make the eggs.

Use older eggs because the shell will absorb more air, shrink slightly and become more acidic. They will be easier to peel because there is more space between the egg white and the shell.

The extra ½ dozen is in case any of the eggs break or don’t peel the way you like. Plus you’ll use one of them to test for doneness.

Use Best Foods (or Hellman’s mayonnaise) – this is big deal if you want them to have just the right taste. Other mayos just don’t come close to the flavor these brands create.

Use good quality Dijon mustard – Grey Poupon has a good one (make sure there is no other spice, or it will change the taste of the recipe)

Use good quality regular yellow mustard – Annie’s has an organic one, and Heinz and has one but there are lots of great brands – just get the plain yellow mustard (no extra spices)

Use Coarse ground (stone ground) mustard with seeds – Grey Poupon has a good one, and Trader Joes has their own brand

Use Vlasic’s for the dill and sweet relish – it has a unique taste

Buy about 6 bunches of green onions with the nice long green chives attached – you’ll need lots of chives for decorating the top of the eggs and you place the onion part in the heavenly egg mix

Use the thick bacon instead of the thin for a chunkier, tastier experience!

You Can Make Your Eggs the Night Before

You can make this dish the night before, so you’re all refreshed for the party.

When you cover them, either use those plastic egg holders that store and transport the eggs, or if you don’t have one, put toothpicks into a few eggs on the plate and cover tightly.

Wrap first from under the plate to the top, and then again, several more times, from top of the plate to all the way underneath it with plastic wrap.

This should keep one extra day if you need it to, but I like to do this pretty much the night before so the eggs don’t dry out.

And… no need to stand up while you’re making the heavenly eggs – I just bring everything over to the table and sit down, put on some fun music, and relax.

Egg Stacker Container for Storing and Transporting Your Eggs

Remember to Experiment a Little and Have Fun!

Ok – before starting, remember this is a work of love – and you can experiment to see that it has the taste you enjoy the most!

You can follow the recipe generally and then add things to your liking – it’s pretty hard to mess this up – it’s all about your taste buds! You can even add cheddar cheese if you think you’d like that. (For me, it’s too rich, but it’s different).

Cooking The Bacon

Cook up the bacon first. A super easy way is either in the microwave or in the oven (saves you from having all that grease to contend with)

Microwave Bacon. Place bacon between several pieces of paper towels both on the bottom and on the top.

Microwave on high for about 1 minute per piece.

Oven bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

If you have an oven safe cooling rack, set it on top of a cookie sheet with a lip, or the bottom of a broiler pan, since it lets the fat drip down and you don’t get any splatters. Line the bottom of the pan with foil.

Place the bacon in the oven for 18-23 minutes and watch it carefully at the 18-minute mark.

It’s better to use thicker bacon and cook a little longer than really thin bacon (thin bacon tends to burn more easily and it’s harder to handle).

This is an awesome way to cook bacon since there’s hardly any clean up and all the fat drips down. If you’re on a keto diet, you’ll love cooking bacon this way.

Ingredients

2 1/2 dozen large eggs (the extra half dozen is in case some eggs go rogue and you need them to look a little nicer!) :):)

1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise – start with 1/4 cup because you may want to add more or less depending on what you like and how moist and creamy you want the recipe. I tend to like a little more mayo.

I add 1-2 teaspoons of sour cream, but this is not necessary. Or you can add 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream if you like also.

1 teaspoon of gray poupon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon regular yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1/2 tablespoon Vlasic’s dill pickle relish – drain it a bit (use only sweet if you don’t like the dill)

1/2 tablespoon Vlasic’s sweet pickle relish – drain it a bit

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (I prefer the fresh since there are no preservatives) – this just “brightens” the flavor a bit

6 bunches of green onions washed, dried and cut into tiny pieces. (If these are super large bunches, use 4).

Save about half of the green chive portion for decorating the eggs, and you’ll be adding the onion portion and half the chives to the egg mixture

1 pound or more crumbled bacon bits (do not use bottled bits – this messes up the taste)

Salt to taste (I use the Himalayan pink salt because it’s all minerals and no caking agent) but regular salt will do.

Directions

Cook the bacon until crispy – let it cool, then crumble it into little bits on a plate or paper towel. If you really like bacon, cook up a pound and a half or even two pounds and crumble it. (Do not use pre-made bacon bits as it really ruins the taste of this recipe and you won’t like the outcome).
Hard boil the eggs. (Get a very large dish full of lots of ice and water ready and place this in the sink before cooking). There’s a bit of an art to this step. Most people boil the eggs several different ways, but this is what I prefer so your eggs don’t go rogue turn out randomly! ??
Before cooking, Place the eggs in your pan stacking them as little as possible or use two pans.
Cover with cold water about 2 inches above the eggs.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water (I use the Himalayan pink salt since it is all minerals and no caking agent) –
Add ¼ cup rice wine, white or apple cider vinegar to the water.
You’ll love the benefits of salt and vinegar.
This increases the boiling point and causes the egg whites to cook a little faster, which means you don’t overcook the yolk. Plus, it seals any cracks better and it makes peeling the eggs easier.
The vinegar also makes the shells softer and easier to peel. The shell is made of calcium carbonate and the vinegar dissolves some of it, making it easier to peel.
Turn to high and watch carefully for the water to a rolling boil.
As soon as it does, boil for one minute and then remove from the heat.
Then cover the pan and let sit for about 11-12 minutes for large size eggs. (This time can vary if you bought smaller eggs or you are at a higher altitude). Make sure you use a timer or the eggs will overcook and the yolks will turn green.
Since you cooked 2 ½ dozen eggs, you can take one of the eggs and check to see if it’s done before cracking all the eggs. (Besides which, if you don’t check, you’ll crack yourself up if you need do this step all over). ?
Use a Slotted Spoon and Place the Eggs into the Ice Water Bath. The ice water stops them from cooking and makes them easier to peel. Let them sit for about 5 minutes or so.
Crack the wide end of the egg, then roll the eggs around on the counter for a bit to break the shell. Then peel, starting with the wide end of the egg where the air pocket is located. I found this works better than just cracking the egg on the counter.
Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and place the egg yolks in a large bowl. Place the white half on your serving platter. (Secret- if you look at the finished picture, you will see that I cut the eggs in half with a large serrated knife. It’s not necessary to do this, but I just enjoy the way they look ?)
Break up the egg yolks with a fork. Do this as much as you like to make them the consistency you like.
Add these ingredients to the egg yolks: the mayo, (remember to start with ¼ cup and add more to taste) the mustards, the dill and sweet relish, salt, lemon juice, and the green onion portion (plus about half the chives).
Add about 1/3 of the crumbled bacon bits to the mix. Make sure they are small bits.
Mix everything with a fork until creamy. Or if you want to use a hand mixer or food processor, the mixture will be super creamy and you can use a pastry bag or plastic bag with the end cut off to fill the white halves at the end). I used only a fork.
Taste this to see whether you want to add any salt or more mayonnaise. Remember you can experiment all you like. Check the consistency so that it is creamy enough to spoon into the white half of the eggs.
I like the way the eggs look when I serve them – instead of the catered look of perfection when using a pastry bag, I enjoy the “made with love” look of a little chunky imperfection.
Get your egg storage container out, or your glass egg serving or plate depending if you’re serving the eggs right now or refrigerating them overnight. Put the egg white halves into the container or on the plate.
Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg white half. Keep doing this until you are finished (bonus – you’ll probably have mixture left over and you can nosh on this right now, or even later – just store that part in a plastic or glass dish with a tight-fitting lid).
Final Step: Decorate the heavenly eggs: Take the crumbled bacon bits you did not add to the creamy portion of the yolks and add the to the top of each egg. I did this by hand to make them kind of stand up. Do the same with the green chives. Add a tad of paprika if you like it!
You can make these up to 1-2 days ahead as long as you store them covered so a lot of air does not get inside. I make my eggs the night before and just store overnight.