Ingredients:

  • large eggs (room temperature)
  • /2 cup full-fat mayonnaise
  • tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • /4 cup finely diced celery
  • tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • /2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • /4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • slices sourdough or white farmhouse loaf bread
  • Softened butter (optional, for bread)

Instructions:

  1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover completely with cold water (at least 1 inch above eggs).
  2. Bring water to a rapid boil over high heat. Once boiling rapidly, immediately turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let stand for exactly 10 minutes for firm yolks.
  3. Immediately drain the hot water and plunge the eggs into a large bowl of ice water. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes until completely cool to stop the cooking process.
  4. Peel the cooled eggs. Place them in a mixing bowl and coarsely chop them with a knife, aiming for a mix of textures with some larger white chunks remaining.
  5. To the chopped eggs, add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and fresh lemon juice. Gently fold to combine.
  6. Fold in the finely diced celery and chopped chives.
  7. Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste critically and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  8. Cover the egg salad mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
  9. Lightly toast or butter one side of the bread slices (optional).
  10. Divide the chilled egg salad evenly across four slices of bread, top with the remaining four slices, and cut diagonally before serving.