mom’s egg salad

I thought about naming this recipe something like “Smoked Paprika Egg Salad,” or “Simple Egg Salad with Chives.” You know, something unique-ish and impersonal and potentially more SEO-friendly, blech.

But that wouldn’t do this recipe justice, because the truth is that it is my mom’s egg salad recipe. And I think that title alone speaks volumes.

Between my mother’s recipes, my grandmother’s recipes and even my great-grandmother’s recipes (which are currently a mishmash of half-German, half-English chicken scratch on a handful of torn-out notepad pages that my family members are trying to translate into a cookbook to share with everyone, which I so hope works out because I reallllly miss her Black Forest cherry cake), I could fill this blog with posts until the end of time, no joke. It’s funny, because I never thought I grew up in a particularly culinary family — and in the classical sense, I didn’t. But I most definitely grew up around good food: food that has created memories and has withstood the test of time.

Like my Oma’s aforementioned Black Forest cherry cake that she would make for holidays, and my grandfather would always steal a maraschino cherry off the top before she’d serve it so it always looked a little funny once it made it to the table for dessert. Or my grandma’s boiled beef, which I admit is the worst name in the world but it is truly some of the most tender and delicious meat I’ve ever eaten and probably ever will eat and it never goes to waste at our family dinners. Or my dad’s chili — which, as you already know, is so good it has the potential of creating a booming business.

And of course, there’s my mama’s egg salad. It’s so simple, and yet it’s one of my favorite things that she makes.

I’m not even sure I liked egg salad all my life. I really only remember eating it when I was older and was perhaps more appreciative of the fact that egg salad, while easy to assemble, takes a little more love and effort than does, say, a deli sandwich. In any case, I don’t have anything but fond memories of the stuff. It’s made with basic ingredients like mustard, mayo, salt, garlic powder and paprika (my fave spice EVER, in case you were curious), and it tastes awfully similar to my mom’s deviled eggs, which also never last long when they make an appearance at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Of course in true food blogger fashion, I swapped the paprika for smoked paprika, served it open-face on whole grain bread and topped it with chopped chives and ground pepper. But even with the added fanfare, it’s the basic part of the recipe that really shines through — a true indication, in my opinion, of a recipe that will keep up for years and years. And it’s especially an indication of a recipe worth sharing.

So, here you go friends — my mom’s egg salad. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do.

Mom’s Egg Salad

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• Author: Girl Versus Dough
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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• 8 eggs
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash salt
• Dash smoked (or regular) paprika
• Chopped chives and ground pepper, for topping (optional)

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Instructions

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan; add just enough water to the pan so eggs are completely submerged. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cover pan and remove from heat. Let eggs sit 12 minutes in pan, then drain and run under cool water.
2. Peel eggs, then chop. Transfer chopped eggs to a large bowl.
3. Stir in mayonnaise and mustard; taste, and add more mayo or mustard depending on your preference, if necessary. Add a dash of garlic powder, salt and paprika and stir to combine; taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Serve on bread, toasted or untoasted, with chopped chives and ground pepper on top, if desired.

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