lunch

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich

Name: Classic Egg Salad Sandwich
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 large eggs; 1/3 cup mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 stalks celery, finely diced; 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 8 slices good sandwich bread; Butter lettuce leaves; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Egg salad depends on properly cooked eggs and restraint with the mayo. Hard-boiled eggs should be started in cold water, brought to a boil, then cooked for exactly ten minutes before an ice bath stops the cooking. This produces a fully set yolk with no gray-green sulfurous ring, which only appears when eggs are overcooked or cool too slowly. The yolks and whites are chopped separately: whites in rough pieces for texture, yolks crumbled fine so they bind with the mayo. The dressing is mayo, yellow mustard, and either minced pickle or a small amount of pickle brine for acid. Use less mayo than feels right, taste, and adjust. The egg flavor should be the primary note, not the dressing. Season with salt and white pepper. The sandwich needs bread with enough structure to hold the filling: toasted white, potato bread, or soft rye. The egg provides both the filling and the fat in the form of yolk, making this a dish where the ingredient and the sauce are the same thing.

Prep: 15 min Cook: 12 min Total: 27 min Serves: 4

Ingredients

8 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 slices good sandwich bread
Butter lettuce leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then immediately cover, remove from heat, and let stand for exactly 10 minutes.
Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel. The yolks should be fully set but still a deep yellow — no gray-green ring.
Chop the eggs coarsely — you want a mix of bigger and smaller pieces, not a uniform paste. Transfer to a bowl.
Add mayonnaise, Dijon, celery, chives, and lemon juice. Fold gently until combined. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Divide the egg salad among 4 slices of bread. Top with butter lettuce and the remaining bread slices. Cut in half and serve.

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