First of all … Tartine {fancy word for open faced sandwich} ! Phew! That was close. We aren't going to sit here and say we invented egg salad, or even herb egg salad for that matter. But we definitely think that our version was a delicious elevation on something that needed very little improvement to begin with! It’s possible when you see all the herbs this recipe calls for, that you might think it’s a lot. However, we suggest you think about how easy your base of egg salad will be and how interchangeable the herbs can be. We served this vegetarian dish on both traditional and gluten free bread and everyone seemed to agree that gluten free or not, it was Eggcellent!! Sorry, we had to! They were topped with radishes, basil and watercress from The Farm at Doe Run , a personal favorite of ours. Hope you enjoy!
Here’s a helpful tip: When you come home from the grocery store with all your fresh herbs, we suggest that you “prep” them out. This means you remove them from their original packaging, wash them well (and make sure that they are dry). We used the salad spinner to get out all the excess water. Then you can pop each variety in its own zip lock bag with a clean paper towel. The paper towel will help pick up extra moisture and help keep them from drying out too much. These steps will make assembling the egg salad so much easier.
Serves 4
12 large eggs
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise (add ¼ at a time)
1⁄4 cup minced chives *
1⁄4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon zest
coarse salt
black pepper
Bread vessel of your choice ( we used 7 grain and slider sized sandwich flats)
20 basil leaves, washed and dried
4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup watercress leaves
* Feel free to vary the herbs, substituting fresh tarragon, dill, or chervil for the chives.
1. Start with perfect hard boiled eggs {Insert your favorite method here}.
2. Transfer the peeled eggs to a medium-sized bowl. Add the mayonnaise, chives, shallots, mustard, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Mash the eggs with a potato masher, and mix the ingredients well with a large spoon (you should have about 3 1⁄4 cups salad).
3. Dollop a quarter of the egg salad onto each slice of bread and top with a quarter of the basil leaves, a quarter of the radishes, and a quarter of the watercress. Serve.
