Hairy Bikers Devilled Eggs Recipe

Three fillings share the same yolk base in this Hairy Bikers devilled eggs recipe from Ultimate Comfort Food, one classic, one curried and one capered. And 12 eggs give 24 halves for 12 people as canapés, about 130 calories a pair and 40 minutes, both by my count.

“An oldie brought up to date by us – and a goodie”, they write, and I read the update as the fillings, not the eggs. So tarragon and hot paprika mark the classic, curry powder and green chillies the curried, and capers, olives and lemon zest the third.

Cook the yolks right through, because the book wants them “dry and crumbly” and simmers the eggs for a full 10 minutes. Then crumble them to a powder on a fine grater or with a fork, since the book wants no lumps before the mayonnaise goes in.

Hairy Bikers Devilled Eggs Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Boiling Cuisine:British Courses:Starter Snack

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 10 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:12 servingsCalories:130 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Twelve room-temperature eggs go into cold water, come up to the boil and simmer for ten minutes, then are cooled, peeled and halved. Then the yolks are grated or forked to a fine powder and split three ways, each third mixed with mayonnaise, mustard and its own seasonings. And the whites are piled or piped full, garnished with spring onion, chilli or basil, and set out for a buffet.

Ingredients

For the eggs

• 12 eggs, at room temperature
• Salt and black pepper

Classic filling (for 4 eggs)

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp English mustard
• ½ tsp hot paprika, plus more to garnish
• A few drops of red wine vinegar or lemon juice
• Leaves from a small tarragon sprig, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, very finely chopped, to garnish

Curried filling (for 4 eggs)

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp hot curry powder
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, plus whole leaves to garnish
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 2 green chillies, very finely chopped or sliced, to garnish

Capered filling (for 4 eggs)

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 heaped tsp capers, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tsp olives, finely chopped
• Zest of ½ lemon
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• A few small basil leaves, to garnish
• Chilli flakes, to garnish

Instructions

1. Boil: put 12 room-temperature eggs in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, so the yolks are cooked right through.
2. Cool and peel: plunge the eggs into cold water and peel off the shells as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Then cut each egg in half, scoop out the yolks into a bowl and set the whites aside.
3. Powder the yolks: crumble the yolks to a powder on a fine grater or with a fork, making sure there are no lumps. Then divide the powder between three bowls, one for each filling.
4. Classic filling: into the first bowl mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp English mustard and ½ tsp hot paprika. Add a few drops of red wine vinegar or lemon juice and the chopped tarragon, then taste and season, since some ingredients are salty.
5. Curried filling: into the second bowl mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and ½ tsp hot curry powder. Add 1 tbsp chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice, then taste and season.
6. Capered filling: into the third bowl mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and the chopped capers and olives. Add the zest of ½ lemon and a squeeze of juice, then taste and season.
7. Fill and garnish: pile the fillings into the whites, or pipe them in with a star nozzle. Then top the classic with paprika and spring onion, the curried with coriander leaves and green chilli, and the capered with basil and chilli flakes. Serve on a plate.

FAQs

What makes a devilled egg devilled?

Going by their three books, the heat, which in Ultimate Comfort Food is hot paprika in the classic and hot curry powder in the curried. And in Chicken and Egg it is a teaspoon of sriracha under smoked paprika, while their devilled kidneys keep to one teaspoon of cayenne. So none of them is fierce in my kitchen, and I find a canapé wants a nudge of heat rather than a blast.

What is the Hairy Bikers smoked chicken devilled egg?

A second recipe, from Chicken and Egg, blends 12 yolks with 85ml of mayonnaise, Dijon, hot sauce, red onion and 45g of smoked chicken. And it sits beside their Lockhart smoked chicken, so with the smoker lit the book pops the filled eggs in it for 3 minutes. So that one takes a blender, and if the mix is too dry the book adds another tablespoon of mayonnaise.

Can I make devilled eggs ahead, and how do I store them?

The book gives no keeping time, so I boil the eggs the day before and keep the whites and powdered yolks covered in the fridge. Then I mix and fill within two hours of serving, because a filled egg dries out on the plate in my experience. And leftovers go back in the fridge covered and get eaten the next day, which is my rule, not the book’s.

How do you pipe devilled eggs?

With a star nozzle in a piping bag, which the book offers as the elegant option against piling the filling in with a spoon. And one lump of yolk blocks the nozzle, which I learned the messy way, so I always use the grater for a piped batch. So I pipe the classic and the curried and spoon the third, since its capers and olives catch in the nozzle.

What do you serve devilled eggs with?

A buffet lunch or a party, because the headnote calls them “lovely little snacks” and offers them as canapés “if you’re feeling a bit fancy”. So on a picnic table mine sit beside their scotch eggs and their pickled eggs, three eggs from three books. And the curried one sits happily next to their coronation chicken, since both are curried mayonnaise.