Iām the kind of person who wants to eat a different variation of deviled eggs every night. But, doesnāt want to make deviled eggs all the time. Removing egg yolks from their cooked whites only to put them back again is a little too extra for me to do on a regular basis. But recently, I came across a recipe from chef Todd Richards that cracks the codeāone that gives me all of the delicious flavor of my favorite deviled egg recipe in a way that makes sense for any random Tuesday afternoon: the deviled egg spread in SOUL: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes.
Richards makes the deviled egg spread with boiled egg yolks, mayo, punchy Dijon mustardāplus a hit of red wine vinegar and hot sauceāthen slathers it onto a crispy slice of toast before piling on other ingredients like canned smoked oysters, crunchy veggies, chopped egg whites, and fresh herbs. Itās a toast that sits somewhere between fancy deviled eggs and an easy egg salad sandwich, bringing together all of the creamy, tangy, and savory flavors I love about the classic appetizer with much less fuss.
āThe egg spread has a good amount of fat in it, which makes it really rich and flavorful,ā says Richards. He adds: āPutting some pickles or acid in the mix makes it even more delicious.ā The vinegar and hot sauce cut through all of that richness and add brightness to the dish.
The spread is essentially deviled egg filling, but this recipe puts that good stuff to even better use. āAnyone whoās ever made deviled eggs knows that you always have extra fillingā in the end, says Richards. āThere are never enough egg whites to fill in, but you donāt want to waste it.ā Making deviled egg spread allows you to tackle two things: use up something that you donāt want to throw away, and simultaneously make an easy dish thatās guaranteed to pleaseāābecause everyone loves toast,ā Richards adds.
While its elements are similar to egg salad, this deviled egg spread is extra-creamy and smooth, not thick and chunky. All of the ingredients become well-incorporated and the flavors more concentrated, Richards explains. āEgg salad can sometimes be really loose, this spread is really soft and smoothāwhich makes it the perfect companion for crunchy toast.ā
While you can get really fancy with these toasts, I love their flexibility: All you really need are eggs and toast. The rest of the toppings are up to you. In SOUL, Richards chops the reserved egg whites and layers them on top, along with smoked oysters, smoked trout roe, and chives. āThe oysters add some salinity and even more texture, while the smoke brings umami,ā he says.
He also likes topping his toast with chicken hearts, because even though they donāt have much flavor by themselves, theyāre great for absorbing other flavors. āWhen youāve got the richness from the egg yolk and the Dijon, the chicken hearts just embrace all of that,ā he says. āThe heartsā outer layer also gets really crispy when pan-fried, like chicken skin.ā But you can top your toast with anything you have on hand: crispy roasted mushrooms or bacon, canned tuna, anchovies, cured salmon, sliced radishes, or sugar snap peas. Thatās whatās great about this dishāand soul food as a wholeāsays Richards, āItās very sophisticated and flavorful, yet simple at the same time.ā
