Chunky, Herby Egg Salad

Our lovely chickens are doing their jobs, giving us countless opportunities to figure out ways to use more eggs in our cooking. Pretty much every meal has to have some eggs in it, or we get seriously backlogged on our inventory. While this egg salad may not be a necessarily new or creative way to use up lots of eggs, it certainly has become on of our lunchtime favorites. And, now that almost all of our lunches are eaten at home these days, I am always looking for something different and delicious to serve.

With that, here is my version of egg salad. I have said it many times and will again...I love any mayo-based salad and  they continue to be some of my most crave-able foods. This version of egg salad may be a bit different than what you are used to. Instead of a fairly uniform, smooth texture, my style is chunky with plenty of texture from roughly chopped eggs, plus a super creamy dressing and plenty of fresh herbs to balance out all of the richness from the mayonnaise. I like mine schmeared on toasted sourdough served open-faced or as a sandwich on a soft, sprouted wheat bun. This also makes a great dip for whole grain crackers or veggie sticks, but would also go well served on a heaping pile of salad greens or straight up out of a bowl. Use whatever fresh herbs you like and/or have on hand and, of course, use the best quality eggs possible for the most nutrient-density in this tasty lunchtime favorite.

Chunky, Herby Egg Salad
Serves 3-4

6 eggs (use pastured, organic eggs for the most nutrition possible)
3-4 Tbs mayonnaise (use a good quality mayo, such as one with avocado oil, or homemade)
2 Tbs plain, whole milk yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp pickle juice
1 dill pickle, finely diced--about 2 Tbs
2 Tbs chives or scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (or other herbs), roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Big pinch black pepper

To make the eggs:
The first step in making egg salad is to properly hard-boil your eggs. What I have found to work the best is to put the eggs in the pan with cold water and a big pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let sit for 12 minutes in the hot water. While this sits, prepare an ice bath (lots of ice with enough water to make it submerge-able) for the eggs. After 12 minutes, drain the eggs and toss them into the prepared ice bath. Let sit until cooled.
Gently peel and rinse the eggs.
 
To prepare the egg salad: 
Cut the hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise, and then roughly chop them. I like my egg salad with big, chunky pieces in it, but if you prefer egg salad with a smoother texture, feel free to chop away.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice and pickle juice.
Add the chopped eggs, pickle, chives/scallions, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to the sauce. Mix well to combine, lightly mashing the yolks as you stir to thicken the mixture.
Taste and adjust salt and/or pepper as needed.

Refrigerate to chill before serving. This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.