Open Faced Egg Salad Sandwich with Dill and Avocado

 

by Jennifer Sartell

It's so great to be back and blogging again! Just before Thanksgiving, my computer took a nose dive and I couldn't access any of my image files, I couldn't download my camera, and worst of all, I couldn't share all the exciting things that happened at our first Christmas on the new farm. I had "first snow" farm photos all ready to be sent out in Christmas cards, but they never made it off the camera until now. But it's a new year, and I have a new hard drive, and it's great to be talking chicken again.

Over the holidays, I felt as though my taste for food was being bogged down with the heavy traditional foods of the season. In my house it's gravy, everything has gravy. And don't get me wrong, I love gravy, but too much of a good thing can weigh a palette down.

Usually around this time, as winter settles in and nestles it's long dreary stretch across the coming months, I start craving the fresh green flavors of summer. And while this recipe isn't exactly flocked with something like fresh asparagus, or spring lettuce, the dill and the buttery green avocado give the traditional egg salad a bright new taste.

Ingredients:
6 farm fresh hard boiled eggs. Chilled, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
small bunch of dill, finely chopped, about 1 Tbsp.
sour dough English muffins
Swiss, Gruyere or your favorite sliced cheese
avocado slices
salt and pepper

To make hard boiled eggs perfect every time, set eggs in a pot and cover with water. Once the water starts to boil, set the timer for 6 minutes. To ease peeling, cool the eggs as fast as possible after boiling. I do this by straining out the hot water and running cold water over the eggs until they're comfortable to handle. Peel immediately under cold running water. The shock of the cold seems to shrink the egg slightly and allows the shell to come off without damaging the egg white. The water also acts as a lubricant between the shell and the egg. Boil your eggs several hours before and refrigerate. There's nothing worse than luke warm egg salad.

Add 1/2 cup mayonnaise. (Want to add even more homemade fun to this recipe, check out one of Grit's latest recipes by Laura Marie, a super easy how-to in making your own mayonnaise.)  

Add the chopped red bell pepper, green onions, dill, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.

Lay slices of cheese over two halves of an English muffin and toast in the oven until the cheese melts and slightly browns. I used a delicious smoked Gruyere.

To assemble the sandwich, scoop a generous portion of the salad onto the toasted cheese capped muffin, top with slices of avocado and give it a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. I find that salt always brings out the delicate buttery flavor of avocados. Enjoy!   

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