Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill

Hi everyone!  I'm back...well, mostly back.  Now that I'm back in the land of the living (thanks to a sweet baby girl who has slept nearly 7 hours straight for the past 3 nights), I feel like cookin' again!  

Besides, our dinner delivery service officially stopped last week (sniff sniff!).  We had lovely friends who brought us dinner 3x a week for nearly 6 weeks.  Yes, I was spoiled.  Very spoiled! 

Now that I've dried my tears, LOL...let's talk eggs. 

I've made these deviled eggs before, and man...they're good.  Mighty fine eatin', I'm telling y'all.  But, I can't make 'em today, because it's Friday, and it's Lent, and we can't eat any bacon today. :-(.

However, we can use some lovely smoked salmon instead, and it's nearly as good.  Bacon is tough to beat, but I needed to take something tonight to Mom's Night Out.  Maybe tonight I'll finally win the Bunko pot!  At any rate, I'm betting I won't come home with any leftovers. ;-)

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill 

1 dozen large eggs

4 ounces smoked salmon (about 3/4 of a cup), finely chopped

4 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

4 teaspoons dijon mustard

salt and black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

1 tablespoons (or more to taste) fresh lemon juice

paprika for garnish (if desired)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  I like to use a large, deep skillet.  Then I don't have to wait as long for the water to boil.  (I'm short on time these days...I never know how long this baby will sleep for me!). 

Once the water is at a boil...

use a large, slotted spoon to gently lower your eggs in. 

Wait for the water to come back to a boil.  Turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let the eggs sit for 12-14 minutes. 

If you let your eggs sit out for about 1/2 an hour before you boil them, there's less chances of them cracking on you.  Cold eggs don't like hot water ;-).

After 12-14 minutes, place your eggs in a large bowl of ice water. 

When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the shells.  Some say to peel them under running water so the shells come off more easily.  I just hold them in the bowl of water and peel them that way.  You can do it however you like.

At this point, you can put the eggs back in the fridge and finish up later...which I had to do, because my baby girl woke up.

Otherwise, cut each egg in half lengthwise, and gently scoop out the yolks into a medium bowl.  Put the egg whites aside for just a bit. 

Here's a little tip:  If you slice just a little bit of the egg white off the bottom of the empty halves, they'll sit flat instead of sliding around all over the place.  This works especially well if you don't have one of those deviled egg serving platters.  I do, but I still like to take a little off the bottom of the eggs. 

Use a fork to mash the egg yolks.  Combine them with the smoked salmon, mayo, dill, and mustard.  Season to taste with the salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.  

Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a tiny sprig fresh dill if you'd like. 

Well, I did come home with leftovers from Bunko night, but I had the most losses of the night (I lost 9 rounds), so I won $15!  How about that? :-)

At any rate, now y'all have another deviled egg recipe to use.  Comes in handy after you dye a couple dozen eggs with your kiddos for Easter, right? 

God bless your table tonight!