Grandpa's Angry Deviled Eggs

This recipe was sent to me along with a little story about its name. Apparently, someone's "Grandpa" was a mean old coot that frightened all the kids. But Grandpa was also a helluva cook, and one of his favorite recipes was for his "Angry Deviled Eggs."

The story continued that the Angry Deviled Egg recipe reflected Grandpa's personality. Lots of fire and anger, sometimes hard to take, but ultimately tolerable to those who give him a chance. What makes Grandpa's deviled eggs "angry"? I guess it's the large amount of prepared horseradish. Or maybe the accompanying story. But I went into the test of Grandpa's Angry Deviled Eggs with high hopes, because the story accompanying the recipe was so much more memorable than the standard recipe I receive.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
slightly less than 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 to 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
paprika for garnish

1. Mash egg yolks until smooth.
2. Add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Fill eggs with filling.
4. Sprinkle with paprika as desired.
5. Let eggs sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour so that flavors will blend.


Above: adding mayonnaise, horseradish, and sugar

Above: adding yellow mustard, white vinegar, and salt


Above: adding the dry mustard, the pepper, and a shot of the finished products

I found two things interesting about this recipe, beyond the accompanying story. First, the addition of sugar into a recipe with a LOT of horseradish and described as "angry." But the sugar really does make a difference! You can slightly taste it, and it cuts the pungency of the horseradish just enough to make the horseradish a nice flavor rather than an uncomfortable bite. Second, the use of two mustards - both prepared and dry. I still can't figure this one out, although maybe the prepared mustard allows for more substance to the filling or something. Still, it's the sugar that makes this horseradish-based recipe so good. Maybe Grandpa wasn't really such an asshole, but had a sweet spot in his somewhere. Doubtful.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 72 out of 100
Texture: 14 out of 100
Flavor: 14 out of 100
Uniqueness: 17 out of 100 (3 additional points for the story)
Appearance: 11 out of 100 (I'm getting SO tired of the paprika-as-garnish appearance)
Ease of preparation: 16 out of 100

Comments?