Pickled Beet Devilled Eggs

Spring has sprung and Easter is around the corner. The season for beautifully dyed eggs. You may think there is no unique way to serve dyed eggs. After all, Easter egg salad is fairly ubiquitous now. I’m here to tell you there is yet one more way to add some pizzazz to your egg dishes this holiday: pickled beet devilled eggs. Using the bright fuschia brine to dye the outside of your boiled eggs will lend them only a hint of sweetness, which the sprinkle of minced pickled beets will complement well. Mainly we will use the brine for aesthetic purposes. But in the end you’ll not only have gorgeous and unique devilled eggs, you’ll also have a couple of jars of fabulous pickled beets. In their brine in covered jars they will keep for up to 4 months. They are great with lightly bitter greens, such as arugula or radicchio. Fabulous with tangy or salty cheese. Really great as an accompaniment to any stuffed pita or Mediterranean dish.  For more culinary uses for pickled beets, see notes.

Pickled Beets

Ingredients

2 lbs beets, washed, peeled, & cut into bite sized chunks (see notes)

1 cup filtered water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 bay

leaves

1 teaspoon gently crushed black peppercorns

2 peeled whole cloves of garlic

2 - 3 large sprigs dill

Method

Have sterilized jars at the ready, complete with lids. Fill jars with the aromatics, evenly divided, and chopped, boiled beets. Bring water, sugar, vinegar, and salt to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then pour over beets in jars. Allow jars to steep at least one hour before using the brine to marinate your boiled eggs.

Pickled Beet Devilled Eggs

Ingredients

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Pickled beet brine to cover (see notes)

2 Tablespoons pickled beets, minced 

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 Tablespoon dijon mustard

A tiny pinch paprika

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Method

Marinate whole peeled eggs in brine for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 24 hours (the longer they marinate the thinner the white will become, so the best length of time for marination shouldn’t exceed 8 hours). Remove eggs and pat dry. Slice in half lengthwise and remove yolks. In a bowl mix yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper, until it forms a smooth paste. Set egg whites on your serving platter, cut side up. Over the mouth of a tall glass, put a pastry bag or ziploc bag, open. Aim one of the corners of the bag at the bottom of the glass. Fill the bag with yolk mixture, cut off the corner, and pipe into the cavity of the egg whites. If you have piping tips you can use them on the bag (place in the corner before the bag is filled and the corner is cut); they will make the yolks look a bit prettier. If you don’t have piping tips it will still look gorgeous. When you have used up the yolk mixture/filled all the egg whites, sprinkle the finished dish with minced pickled beets and serve. Best served fresh. Anything with mayonnaise should not sit around in warm temperatures.

Notes

To boil beets, trim off tails and tops, place in a pot of boiling water (add 2 Tablespoons or so acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to prevent color bleeding) to cover. Boil until a knife can be inserted easily into the beets, 25 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size. Remove from water. While still warm, rub the skins off with a tea towel (the skin will come off easily).  

This will make 1 1/2 to 2 pint jars full of pickled beets. They are great in salads, especially salads with soft tangy cheeses. They are also great chopped into a relish, with couscous, with falafel, great in egg salad, on their own and would likely be great to replace some of the beets in a borscht. For marinating the eggs, the amount of brine needed will depend on the size of your marinating dish.