egg salad sandwiches with tarragon

If insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results then I am, in fact, insane. Every time I step foot into a deli and ask for their egg salad sandwich I always receive a sloppy, mushy mass of yellow that has an absurdly disproportionate amount of mayo. It is usually too heavy for the thinly sliced bread upon which it is glopped and has a slick and slippery piece of lettuce that is always sliding out from the bread. Why do I set myself up for disappointment every time?

Well today I had just about enough. I am tired of the thick yellow paste they scoop out of the counter with an ice cream scoop. I want a chunky egg salad, where I can still see chunks of actual egg, with just enough mayo to hold it together. Gourmet, once again, proved that its death was unjust. Adding tarragon and shallot to the eggs gave it some earthiness and bite and white wine vinegar rounded out the whole ensemble.

As perfect as this egg salad is, you don’t have to be limited to the recipe. You can swap out the mayo for greek yogurt, use chives instead of tarragon, toast your bread or use a grain bread like rye. If crunchiness is your thing, you can stir in the love of my life bacon, or some chopped celery. You can even add capers or more capers or deck it out with a thin layer of smoked salmon, prosciutto or capers. What is most important, though, is not the extras but the foundation. The trick to egg salad is roughly chopping your egg and using just enough binding to keep it together. Too much mayo and mincing your eggs will only yield a mass of thick yellow paste, and nobody wants that. This egg salad is the perfect cure for deli-induced insanity as I will never have to go back for more disappointment.

Egg Salad Sandwiches with Tarragon
Adapted from Gourmet

Serves 6

8 large hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced tarragon
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 /2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce
12 thick slices of sourdough

Stir together, eggs, shallot, tarragon, vinegar, and mustard and 1/4 cup mayonnaise. If the salad is too dry, add a tablespoon of mayonnaise at a time until it comes together. Season with salt and pepper.

Place lettuce on six pieces of bread. Spread egg salad on top of the lettuce then top with remaining slices of bread.

*Your egg salad can be made one day ahead and chilled covered. Do not assemble the sandwiches until ready to serve, otherwise you will have soggy sandwiches.