Egg Salad Sandwich with Butter

Easter is behind us. All those painted eggs for the egg hunt (hopefully) have been found. Now the real question is, what to do with all those hard-boiled eggs? Did you make some deviled eggs for your Easter table? Or perhaps added some sliced eggs to a toss green salad for added texture and flavor. I can see potato salad or macaroni salad in the very near future.

When I was a young girl, I can remember getting up early in the morning and watching my Dad pack his lunch. Back then, he worked as a plumber for a construction company. Often Dad made an egg salad sandwich to pack in his lunch box. This was in the old days, when a lunch box was made of metal, with a place for a thermos in the lid and the lunch below. There were no ice packs or means to keep foods from spoiling in the heat of the day. Instead of using mayonnaise in his egg sandwiches, he used soft butter. The eggs were still warm when Dad mashed them with butter, salt and pepper. I love the smell of eggs in the morning. It brings back such clear memories from my childhood. To this day, one of my favorite things to do with hard-boiled eggs is to make Egg Salad Sandwiches.

Egg Salad Spread with Butter
8 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 Tablespoon Soft Butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Pickle Relish
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Onion
1 Celery stocks, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
8 Slices of Italian, Multi-Grain or Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
4 Lettuce Leaves

Just a few quick notes: Pickle relish is an optional ingredient. Either Sweet or Dill relish can be used, depending upon personal tastes. Another option would be to finely dice whole pickles to add to the mix. Bread can be your preferred type, so long as it isn’t a thin slice of bread. The egg salad spread might be a bit much for thin sandwich bread. Finally, the bread can be toasted for an extra layer of texture, or soft.

To Prepare Eggs: Place eggs in a large pot. Cover with COLD water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover pot with tight-fitting lid and let steep for 12-14 minutes.

Drain, remove eggs and plunge into ice water. Place into refrigerator to cool, about 15 minutes.

Gently roll eggs on counter to crack shell. Return to bowl of cold water and let soak about 15 minutes before peeling.

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. On a small dish, place 1 egg half at a time, yolk side down. Using a fork, crumble/mash into small pieces. Place egg into a large mixing bowl. Repeat with remaining eggs. Mash butter into egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, mix well.

To Prepare Sandwich Spread: Add mayonnaise, pickle relish, onions and celery to eggs. If mixture appears too dry, add additional mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time.

Refrigerate until well-chilled or until ready to use.

Divide egg salad mixture between 4 slices of bread. Top with lettuce leaves and remaining 4 slices of bread. (Bread may be toasted, if desired). Press lightly on sandwich to hold in place, cut in half diagonally.

Serving Suggestions: Chips or Macaroni or Potato Salad – put those eggs to work!