Eggs-travagant

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Yesterday during my volunteer shift at the Fair Food Farmstand, I learned a couple of things about chickens - certain breeds are more sensitive than others to temperature.  The lovely blue eggs they sell can only be found in the Spring and Fall, for instance, because the chickens don’t like it when it’s too hot or too cold.  Prima donnas!  The Farmstand won’t be getting any of the great free range Meadow Run Farm eggs for a while, either - in the colder weather, the chickens are kept inside and don’t get to graze and don’t lay many eggs.

I was a little sad to hear it - I just used the last of my Meadow Run eggs a few days ago.  And then I got excited, because I was able to share those eggs with people I really like - members of my dragonboat team!  We had a sort of ancillary event the other day where we all had to bring some food, and my potluck dish was deviled eggs.

Deviled eggs sort of get a bad rap - they’re a little bit kitschy and people make fun of them.  The thing is, though, that I don’t know a single person who dislikes them.  I like to play around with deviled eggs to make them a little less boring, and I really like the recipe for the deviled eggs I took to the event - the yolks were mixed with boiled potato, minced smoked salmon, and green onion.  The potato changed the texture of the yolk quite a bit - the eggs were eggy without being too eggy.

1 dozen eggs
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
4 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
8 Tbsp minced smoked salmon
6 Tbsp finely chopped green onions

Boil the potato for about 15 minutes.  And while the potato is boiling, cover the eggs in water, throw in a bit of salt, and tsp. of vegetable oil, and bring to a boil.  Boil for ten minutes.  Immediately remove the eggs for the heat and transfer them to a bowl of cold water.  Peel the eggs, cut them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the yolk.

Combine the yolk and potato with a bit of salt and pepper, the oil, juice, and mustard.  Mash it all together really really well with a fork or a masher.  Throw in half of your minced salmon and green onions and stir to blend.  Load it all in a piping bag and pipe into the egg hollows.

Sprinkle the other half of the salmon and green onions over top.

The eggs, potato, and scallion were locally grown.

I hear the latest fad in deviled eggs is mixing the yolk with avocado.  Avocado can generally not be found locally, but it made me wonder what a deviled egg would taste like with the yolk mixed with butternut squash.  Perhaps one day I’ll spend the day making different deviled egg concoctions.  Let it never be said that eating locally grown food in the Winter is dull!