I have a slight obsession with deviled eggs. Anytime we have people over or we go to a potluck deviled eggs are my go-to dish. This particular egg recipe was inspired by a Couple Cooks reuben grilled cheese. I thought this reuben spin might work in deviled egg form, it has a mayonnaise like substance and pickled items, all great ingredients for a deviled egg!! So, if you want something very unique and far from the classic deviled egg this is your recipe…oh and if you like sauerkraut. No pastrami was harmed in the production of this egg…though I think a little pastrami might work just fine as a topping or minced into the egg filling for another spin on this recipe. Salty+briny usually equals deviled egg heaven.
Now the hard part, cooking and peeling those damn eggs. I once read something on Smitten Kitchen about how eggs are punks and, well, yeah, that’s pretty much true. Last month, I made boiled eggs for egg salad not one shell stuck to the egg, all were flawless. The only “trick” I have found that works for easier peeling eggs, is to buy them in advance and “age” your eggs. The fresher the egg, the harder to peel. I try to buy mine at least a week or two before using. So, hard boil your eggs in whatever crazy fashion you choose.
Ingredients
- 7 hard boiled eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp shallot, minced
- 3 tbsp finely chopped pickles + extra for garnish
- ¼ heaping cup good quality sauerkraut** + extra for garnish
- 4 dashes or to-taste Tabasco
- Salt and Pepper to-taste
**I would strongly recommend the refrigerated section to find your sauerkraut, please don’t use the canned. I got our’s from the Farmers Market.
Hard boil 7 eggs
My method, which I stole somewhere, off the internet, at some point. Bring eggs to a boil, boil about one minute, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes on stove. Pour out most of the water, run cold water into the pot, dump out some of it, add a little ice. I like to peel my eggs right away, some people argue to chill them fully first. To each their own. Also, you don’t HAVE to do 7 eggs, but when I make deviled eggs I always do one extra, I like to have the back-up plus a little extra filling never hurts.
While making the eggs, prepare the Russian dressing.
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp ketup
- 2 tbsp shallot minced (or if you are in a pinch red onion)
- 3 tbsp finely chopped pickles
Set aside.
Peel eggs, cut in half longways, and remove egg yolks to medium size bowl. Set aside egg whites to be filled later.
Prep the sauerkraut by squeezing out as much of the juice as you can. Place in food processor and pulse once or twice to chop into small pieces. Remove and set aside.
Mash the egg yolks with a fork or you can use the food processor to break them apart (just a pulse or two, and no need to rinse in-between). Once you have mashed the egg yolks, add in the prepared Russian dressing. I did use the full bowl of dressing for 7 eggs, but I recommend you put a little over half in to start. Add sauerkraut, stir, add in more dressing to your liking. You want it to be fairly wet but not too loose. Next put in 4 dashes or more to your liking of Tabasco. TASTE the filling and then decide if you need salt. The saltiness of the pickles and the sauerkraut will heavily influence how much salt you need. Then do about 5 grinds of black pepper. Taste and adjust as you see fit.
Spoon filling into a pastry bag or baggie, and fit with desired tip. It does need to have a larger opening as the filling is a bit chunky. Fill your waiting egg whites!! You can also just spoon into the eggs too. Garnish with pickles or sauerkraut. Other options include pastrami or even making mini croutons with rye.
