Grandma Stanley's Deviled Eggs

An eagle-eyed deviled egg fan recently sent me this piece, which originally ran in the Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution as part of its amazing Southern Recipe Restoration project.

http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/grandma-stanleys-deviled-eggs/

It's always great to read a brief story along with a recipe, and this recipe has that story. Unfortunately for Grandma Stanley and her progeny, this blog does not have a scoring category for "background story."

However, it doesn't really matter in this case. This recipe boils down to one thing: sometimes, simple is better.

These may be the simplest deviled eggs that I have made since I began this blog, but believe it or not, they do not disappoint. Just mayonnaise, sweet relish, and some salt and pepper. That's it. Yet, it's great.

In case you didn't read the link, here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a small bowl, combine the yolks, mayonnaise, and pickle relish.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Fill the egg white halves with the filling.

Yep, that's it.

Here are the pictures:

Above: adding the mayonnaise and relish

Above: adding the pepper and salt

Above: the finished product

Is this recipe perfect? Of course not. When I made it, I did have to add more salt and pepper than I had expected in order to "season to taste", in this case, my taste. Plus, with no garnish at all, these eggs look very plain.

But the tasting panel loved them, one panelist even calling them "the best yet." Well, they aren't the BEST yet, but they are damn good. And they are good enough that I will even try some of the suggested relish substitutions like chopped sun-dried tomatoes or chopped ham. If I do, I will grade them on here as well.

This recipe is also serves as a great base recipe for deviled eggs. If you have a serving idea or topping idea and need just a BASE recipe, this is it. Maybe a little mustard, maybe a little less relish (since that's clearly the dominating flavor), but this is a great base.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 69 out of 100
Texture: 15 out of 20
Flavor: 14 out of 20
Uniqueness: 13 out of 20 (extra points because their simplicity is so unique)
Appearance: 8 out of 20
Ease of preparation: 19 out of 20

Up next will be a report on the OTHER recipe suggested in the backstory of Grandma Stanley's deviled eggs.

Comment?