These Thanksgiving deviled eggs start with a classic filling made with mayonnaise, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, pickle brine and smoked paprika. Then they get dressed up for the occasion with sweet and rich caramelized shallots and crispy bacon crumbles.
Ingredients
Perfect Hardboiled Eggs
8large eggs
1teaspoonbaking soda
large bowl ice water
Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs
3stripsbacon
2largeshallots
1tablespoonbacon grease, reserved
1/2teaspoonsugar
1/4cupmayonnaise
1/4cupcream cheese, softened
1tablespoondijon mustard
1tablespoongherkin brine*
1-2 dashesTabasco sauce to taste, optional
1/4teaspoonsmoked paprika, plus extra for garnish
1tablespoonchives
kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Perfect Hardboiled Eggs
Fill a small saucepan with enough water to eventually submerge the 8 eggs. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and carefully lower in the eggs with a large spoon or spider. Cover with lid.
Set timer for 12 minutes. Once the pot comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. After 12 minutes, remove the eggs with a large spoon or spider and plunge directly into a large bowl filled with ice water. Allow the eggs to cool in the ice water for at least 5 minutes.
Once the eggs have cooled, peel by tapping the top and bottom of the egg on your counter to crack. Then tap around the equator. Peel and set aside.
Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs
Fry the bacon over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until crispy. Drain on a paper towel, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Once cooled, finely chop and set aside.
Thinly slice the shallots and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon grease. Cook on medium high heat for 1-3 minutes with a pinch of kosher salt, stirring to break up the rings.
Once translucent, lower the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once caramelized, add in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and cook for an additional minute or 2. Set aside to cool.
Halve the hard boiled eggs and pop out the yolks into a bowl. Add in the mayo, softened cream cheese, dijon mustard, gherkin brine* and smoked paprika. If you like a little heat, add in 1 to 2 dashes of Tabasco to taste. Beat with a hand mixer for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.** After mixing, add kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste and mix to combine.
Spoon the mixture into a piping or zip top bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the deviled egg filling into the holes of whites. Garnish the eggs with an extra pinch of smoked paprika. Then, top with a pinch of the caramelized shallots and then the crispy bacon. Finally, snip the chives using kitchen scissors and sprinkle on top. Plate on a large platter or a deviled egg plate.
Equipment
Hand mixer, optional
Notes
*You can use gherkin brine or brine from any jar of pickles you have on hand. If you don't have any pickles, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar with an extra pinch of salt and sugar to taste. If you like pickles in your deviled eggs, feel free to add 1 or 2 finely chopped gherkins to the deviled egg mixture before piping. **You can use a fork to mix instead of a hand mixer for a more rustic texture. Using a hand mixer yields a lighter and fluffier filling.