Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• One dozen (12) Lick Skillet Farm farm-fresh, pasture-raised eggs
• 2 TBSP mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP yellow mustard
• 2 ½ TBSP gherkin (or bread and butter) pickles, diced
• Sea salt (to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 2 TBSP brine from the gherkin pickles (to taste)
• OPTIONAL: Hot sauce (to taste)
• Smoked paprika (to sprinkle on the dressed eggs just before serving)

Directions

Using a sewing needle or a pushpin, pierce a hole in the shell at the wide end of each egg. This allows an escape route for the air, which would ordinarily permeate through the shell, and results in a boiled egg white with a smoothly rounded end.

Put the eggs in a large saucepan, cover with room temperature water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil the eggs for 4 minutes, remove from the heat, and allow the eggs to remain in the water for 10 additional minutes.

After carefully draining the eggs in a colander in the sink, once again cover the eggs, this time with ice water.  The sudden change from hot to cold will cause the egg whites to retract slightly, making peeling easier.

Cut the eggs lengthwise in half. Remove the egg yolks and put them in a bowl; set the whites aside. 

Add the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, gherkin pickles, salt, pepper and brine to the bowl containing the egg yolks. Mash all of the ingredients together and stir to combine.  Spoon (or pipe if you are feeling fancy) the egg white mash into the egg whites.  Sprinkle the dressed eggs with smoked paprika and enjoy.