I. Love. Deviled. Eggs.

So much.

And they don’t seem so hard, right? I mean, I’ve seen my mom make them tons of times. So the summer after I graduated from college, when my roommates and I were having a Fourth of July party, I decided to make some.

It didn’t work out very well.

See, I had never really boiled eggs before. And I don’t know if I did it incorrectly or what, but I could not get those damn eggshells off for the life of me. Every single egg looked like it had been mauled by a bear, and it took forever. I think they probably tasted fine, but I was so over it. I decided I would just let my mom make them from then on.

But I really love deviled eggs. And I hard-boil (and peel) eggs all the time now. So I thought I could probably handle it for our Super Bowl party.

The first thing I determined is that I boil eggs incorrectly… because I actually boil them. I have never had an issue with them, but apparently you are supposed to bring the water to boiling and then turn off the heat and cover the pot? Whatever. Do it however you want.

And then we had the peeling problem again, even though I followed the directions for “perfect” hard-boiled eggs and put them in ice water as soon as they were done. This time, though, I was kind of prepared and had Toby there to help me.

I thought about trying Greek yogurt instead of mayo, but I didn’t have enough time or enough eggs to make more if they turned out weird. Eventually I’ll try that, but for now, try the traditional version. Unless you’re Molly (who is even more anti-mayo than me).

One more note: Keep in mind that you’re cutting the eggs in half, so you only need to boil half as many whole eggs as you want deviled eggs. Having extras isn’t exactly a bad thing, though. Then it might be less obvious that you ate 10 yourself.

Deviled eggs (Makes 30 deviled eggs, adapted from my mom)
15 eggs
4 (or more) tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 to 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Hard boil the eggs using your preferred method. If you don’t have a preferred method, put the eggs in a single layer in a large pot with cold water, with the water covering the eggs by at least one inch. Put the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Allow the water to boil for 1 minute, then remove pot from heat and cover the pot. Let sit for about 12 minutes.

Put boiled eggs in ice water and allow to cool.

Peel the eggs. Cut the eggs in half, remove the cooked yolks and place them in a medium bowl. Add 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and stir.

Taste the mixture and add more vinegar, mayo and/or mustard to taste. Add salt and pepper. Once mixture is desired consistency and flavor, spoon or pipe it into the cavities of the egg halves.

Sprinkle paprika over the yolk mixture and chill until ready to serve.