I had a terrible craving for eggs this week. Not just any eggs though. I wanted deviled eggs… and a lot of them. A normal person would take that as a sign and just make them – I mean, why mess with a perfect thing, right? Not me. I’m far too lazy for that.

To make a good deviled egg, you’re supposed to lay the eggs on their sides overnight to get the yolk to sit nicely in the middle. You’re supposed to let them adjust to room temperature before boiling so they don’t crack when the water gets hot. You even have to worry about how old the eggs are, since fresher eggs don’t peel well after being boiled. You have to boil them perfectly and hope none of the them break. You have to rig up some kind of piping device and fill the egg whites up prettily, all the while losing a tiny bit of that deviled yolky goodness to every surface it comes into contact with. And after all of that work, you have to constrain yourself from eating all of them at once, for the sake of your health, and because you know it will be a long time before you muster up the patience for such a project again.

And you know, when you really want deviled eggs that’s just far too much work and willpower. So it’s only natural that one day I would be so lazy that I would come up with this instead. No worrying about looks, just pick your favorite deviled egg recipe, add an extra dollop of mayonnaise, and get crackin’.

And if you don’t have a favorite deviled egg recipe (I wouldn’t be surprised if I were the only nut who did), try this one I’ve already tricked out for salad:

Recipe: Deviled Egg Salad

Makes 4 servings

• 5 extra large eggs
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Optional: 1/2 cup white mushrooms or hearts of palms, chopped
• Optional: 3 slices of well-done bacon, crumbled

1. Hard boil the eggs. What I like to do is put the eggs in a pot, and then fill the pot with water until the eggs are covered. I salt the water and put the pot on high heat. Once the the water comes to a rolling boil, I cover the pot and turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Then I put them straight into a cold water bath with plenty of ice before peeling. If you have a different method that you like, use that. Just get the eggs boiled.
2. Peel the eggs. Do the best you can to get the shell cleaned off the egg white, but if you lose a hunk here or there, don’t worry about it. I like to run the peeled eggs through a bit of cold water afterward to make sure I’ve removed all of the bits of shell.
3. Slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolk from each half and add it to a bowl, or a container that you will be storing your salad in. Leave the whites on your cutting board.
4. Mash the yolks with a fork. Add all of the spices and condiments, combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If the mixture is still a bit powdery, add a bit more mayonnaise or vinegar until the yolks are creamy.
5. Chop the egg whites, and any of the optional additions if you chose to include them. Stir into the deviled yolks.

Enjoy plain or on a bit of plain toast. I’ve found that the flavor is quite delicate, and so I prefer not to use bread with too much of its own flavor. Garnish with a bit of paprika, chili powder, or cayenne for extra kick.

One year ago: Flourless Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies