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Carol’s Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

  • 12 each large eggs hard-boiled 10 minutes
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise Hellmann’s or Duke’s, plus more as needed
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp capers drained and minced very fine, almost to a paste
  • 1 tsp caper brine the juice from the jar
  • Smoked paprika for dusting

Instructions

  • Boil and peel. Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, move them straight to an ice bath, and peel once cool. A 10-minute egg is the sweet spot: yolks set but still creamy, never chalky, and the whites stay tender.
    12 each large eggs
  • Halve and separate. Cut each egg in half lengthwise. Pop the yolks into a bowl and set the whites on your dish.
  • Mince the capers. Mince them very fine, almost to a paste, so the brine and bite run through the whole filling instead of landing in one lump.
    2 tbsp capers
  • Make the filling. Mash the yolks, then add the mayonnaise, Dijon, minced capers, and caper brine. Mix until completely smooth. If it’s too thick to spoon or pipe, add more mayonnaise a tablespoon at a time until it’s creamy and holds its shape.
    1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp caper brine
  • Fill. Spoon the filling into the whites for rustic style, or pipe it with a star tip if you’re dressing them up.
  • Dust and serve. Finish with a dusting of smoked paprika (always smoked; it earns the extra word). Serve right away or chill until you’re ready.
    Smoked paprika

Notes

  • Make-ahead: happy made the night before. Keep them covered in the fridge; they’ll hold two to three days, in the unlikely event of leftovers.
  • Capers, not relish: the brine does the job pickle juice does in a traditional recipe, the salt-and-vinegar note that cuts the richness. Mincing to near-paste keeps the texture smooth.
  • Spoon or pipe: identical filling, different mood. Spoon for a cookout, pipe for a holiday.
  • The egg matters: if your boiled eggs come out chalky or gray-rimmed, start with The Perfect Boiled Egg and the rest falls into place.