I got tired of the usual boring deviled eggs with mayo. They don’t have enough flavor, so I came up with this original concoction. Instead of using all mayo, I do a 50/50 split of mayo and sour cream. I used to add dill pickle juice, but with so many brands and variations, the eggs didn’t consistently taste the same.
There’s a pizza joint down the street that packs pepperoncini in a portion cup in its delivery boxes. I don’t eat the peppers, but I squeeze the juice on the pizza. OMG! It’s good. I began my quest for the same pepperoncini flavor, but just like pickles, everyone does them different. Then one day I saw some mild Vlasic pepper rings at Walmart. Bingo! That’s the flavor I was looking for.
I used to sprinkle my eggs with regular paprika because it looks nice, but in my opinion doesn’t add any flavor. I had some smoked paprika sitting in my cupboard and thought WTF, I’ll try it on one of the eggs. OMG, again! The medley of flavors was bomb-ass! Hence, Bomb-Ass Deviled Eggs were born.
I don’t measure when I make these, so all measurements are guessimated.
- 1 dozen eggs (a couple days old cause fresh ones don’t peel well)
- 1/3 c Best Foods (Hellman’s) Mayo
- 1/3 c sour cream
- 1 T Vlasic Pepper Ring juice (see picture on the right)
- 1 to 1-1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- Smoked paprika
Boil the eggs
I wasn’t going to explain how to hard boil eggs to you dip dots, but to keep the eggs from cracking during cooking, think “cold”. Place cold eggs in pot, cover completely with cold water by about 1″ and place on cold burner. Crank that bitch up on high, bring to a boil then immediately turn down heat to medium and cook for about another 10 minutes.
Cool the eggs
This is the part people screw up and then bitch that they can’t peel eggs. Drain the hot water off the eggs and run some cold water into the pot to cool the pot down a bit. After about 30 seconds, pour off the water. Toss about a dozen ice cubes into the pot and add some cold water to cover. Let them sit to cool down for about 10-15 minutes. The ice helps cool and shrink the egg inside the shell so peeling will be so much easier. Trust me on this, buy your eggs about 3 days ahead of time because fresh eggs are horribly hard to peel. They’re just stupid that way.
Peel the eggs
Tap the end of the egg to crack it against the inside of the sink. Rotate the egg as you tap until the entire shell is cracked. Then using the fleshy edge of your thumb (not fingernail), begin peeling the shell off the egg. If you did that right, the peeling should just about come off in one piece. Rinse the egg under cold water to get any bits of shell off and set aside on a paper towel.
Cutting the eggs
After all the eggs are cracked, cut them in 1/2 lengthwise. Put the yolks in a bowl and put the whites in your fancy hardboiled egg keeper. I have the Rubbermaid Servin-Saver Egg Keeper. It rocks.Making the secret sauce
Mash the yolks up with a fork until nice and crumbly. The goal is to not have any lumps. If you have a stick blender, use it. I don’t like cleaning it so I don’t use it.
Put everything but the smoked paprika into the mashed up yolks and blend well until smooth and creamy. If it’s too dry, add a little more mayo.
Notice I didn’t include salt in this recipe. That’s because the mustard and pepper juice is salty enough.
Fill each empty egg carcass with some of the yolky goodness. Give each egg a gentle dusting of smoked paprika.
Now stuff your face and enjoy.
