Pickled Eggs
If a sudden preponderance of Easter eggs—and the threat of egg-salad sandwiches for a week—brings back unpleasant childhood memories, here’s a recipe for a grown-up composed salad.
As this takes 48 hours for the eggs to pickle, you must plan ahead.
Scarlet Egg and Beet Salad
Ingredients:
- 4-6 small beets
- 1 fresh tarragon sprig, plus 1 Tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (for garnish)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup slivered sweet onion for garnish
- Freshly ground pepper
Make It:
- Simmer the beets in a saucepan of water to cover until tender—about 20 minutes. Drain, saving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Let cool, and peel the beets. If they are bigger than the eggs, halve or quarter them to make them approximately the same size.
- Place the tarragon sprig in a wide-mouth jar that’s large enough to hold the eggs and beets. Add the eggs and beets, making alternating layers, and pack them as tightly as possible.
- Combine the reserved beet-cooking liquid, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a non-reactive saucepan (basically anything except aluminum), and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool slightly, then pour it over the eggs and beets in the jar. Screw on the jar lid, and refrigerate for at least two days before serving.
- To serve:
Drain off the liquid. Halve or quarter the eggs and arrange them on a platter with the beets. Garnish with sliced onion, minced fresh tarragon, and freshly ground pepper.
Adapted from Marie Simmons’ The Good Egg.
