Party Platter: Pickle Infused Egg Salad

Party Platter: Highlight — Pickle Infused Egg Salad
*serves 4

Let’s face it, thinking of what to make for dinner, every night for a family, is the pits. I now understand this so truly, madly and deeply as I’ve been a full time caregiver to my parents. I’m finding it’s best to theme nights and days of the the week because, well, I think it helps me get by and it helps them too. Food has given us all something to look forward to — browsing recipes, planning the grocery list and cooking.

No frill Friday’s no and no cook nights might be my favorite and, honestly, sometimes they also happen on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s — but who’s keeping track?

Antipasto platters and pickings were always big in our childhood home and it was, maybe, the best part of meal time — social and delicious. Now, since my parents are aging and I’m concerned with their health — we still have prosciutto and cured meats on holidays — but for fun Friday eats I prefer pickled egg salad, tuna salads and other fixings like hummus, nuts, fruits and vegetables. I like to dress the board up with anything from veggies sticks, to crackers, fruit, crudite, marinated artichokes, olives, cheese and nuts. Those are a few of my favorites to include along with big, beautiful bibb lettuce leaves for wrapping the egg salad.

Plating pretty and making food visually appealing, I’ve also foudn, is essential to getting everyone excited about mealtime. Times in the house have been pretty hard, to be honest, so making meals artful, colorful and infused with some party elements really helps all of our spirits.

Don’t know what to make for dinner — try a little party platter and this super yummy pickle infused egg salad. A link, also here, to my Uncle Gino’s tuna salad, loaded with vegetables, briny flavor and slick with oil and juicy with lemon. Coming up: bacon, apple, caramelized onion grilled cheese sandwiches, a perfect Friday or weekend treat.

To begin you’ll want to start by gathering your egg salad ingredients
—8 eggs to hard boil
—Dijon Mustard
—Mayonaise
—Pickles (and some juice)
—Dash of salt if the brine from the pickles isn’t poppin’ enough and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Party Platter: Highlight — Pickle Infused Egg Salad
*serves 4

Egg Salad Ingredients
8-10 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and roughly mashed with a potato masher or a good ole fork!
2-3 dill pickle spears, roughly chopped into a small dice — think relish — but slightly larger
1 tablespoon of pickle brine
2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
6-8 tablespoons of light or regular mayonaise — you want this creamy but not sopping in mayo — for your taste you may find 6 tablespoons works well with 10 eggs — use your judgement
Salt + freshly ground black pepper

Egg Salad Instructions
—Once eggs have been boiled and peeled, mash them in a large glass bowl
—Add pickles, brine, dijon mustard and mayonaise (I recommend starting by adding half the amount and then adding a spoonful at a time until you have your preferred creaminess and consistency)
—Mix well and adjust salt and pepper

For the Party Platter (my personal recommendations)
—Gather some small bowls and a medium sized platter that will fit on your board so you can neatly build your pickins’ around this solid structure
—Slice cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers, whole lettuce leaves
—Cut up fruit, I did clementines — but I also love using grapes, strawberries, orange segments, sliced apples, pears or even pomegranates — depending upon the season
—Mixed nuts work well, I used some nuts I brought back from Mexico — one batch was sweet (I’d recommend a honey roasted peanut to sub in) and peanuts with fried garlic and chili — so if you want to kick it up, Blue Diamond makes a lovely assortment of flavored almonds and I particularly love the Wasabi and Smokehouse versions or go with a simple roasted, salted party mix of nuts
—1 or two nice pieces of cheese — I enjoy a sharp provolone here with the egg salad — but you can go with a cheddar too — and dare to add some honey
—Veggie sticks because we love them, but a plain chip pair nicely as well as a corn chips — like a Frito - yum
—Get out your marinated veggies like artichokes or get a little bowl and fill it with heaping spoonfuls of giardiniera and don’t forget the olives
—Hummus also works lovely here too!
—Enjoy creating and eating!