By Easter. We went to church because we go to church on Easter and Christmas, which Kevin calls "C&E Christians" and I call "doing our best." The kids wore new clothes — Noah in khakis that were already too short because he's growing like corn in June, Emma in a dress she picked out herself that involved more ruffles than any single garment should contain, and Jack in a button-down shirt and clip-on tie that made him look like a tiny insurance adjuster, which Kevin found hilarious and photographed extensively.
Easter dinner at our house. Mom and Dad drove down. I made a ham — different glaze than Christmas, this one with apricot preserves and Dijon mustard. Scalloped potatoes again because they go with ham and because I make good scalloped potatoes and I'm not above repeating a success. Asparagus, because Easter is the one time a year I buy asparagus, roasted with olive oil and lemon. Deviled eggs, because there is no Easter without deviled eggs and there is no deviled egg without paprika and anyone who puts relish in deviled eggs is wrong and I will die on this hill.
The kids did an egg hunt in the backyard. Kevin hid the eggs while I cooked, which means half the eggs were in obvious places and half were hidden so well that we didn't find three of them until July, when the smell announced their location. Jack found an egg near his corn rows and carefully moved it away from the plants because "the egg might affect the pH." He is six. He is concerned about the pH of his corn rows on Easter Sunday. This child.
Dad ate a full plate again. Two full plates. Ham, potatoes, asparagus — he ate asparagus, which I've never seen him eat voluntarily. Mom caught my eye across the table and did the thing with her eyebrows that means "he's eating" and I did the thing back that means "I know." Roger Weber eats when his grandchildren are present. The noise, the chaos, the six-year-old discussing soil pH — it feeds him in a way that food alone can't.
After dinner, Jack showed Dad the corn rows. Dad knelt in the backyard — knelt, at sixty-six, with his bad heart and his stiff knees — and examined the seedlings. He touched the leaves. He checked the soil. He said, "Looking good." And then he said, "You've got the touch, Jack." Jack beamed. I stood on the deck and held my coffee and watched my father give my son the only blessing that matters in our family: the blessing of the soil.
After a day like that — all that fullness, all that grace — I didn’t want to cook anything complicated for the leftover quiet that settles in after family goes home. Egg salad is what I make when I need something that feels like a small kindness to myself: simple, unhurried, the kind of thing you can put together while still thinking about the look on Jack’s face when my dad said he had the touch. Here’s how I made it.
Classic Egg Salad Sandwich
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives or green onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of paprika (for serving — non-negotiable)
- 8 slices good sandwich bread, toasted if preferred
- Butter lettuce or romaine leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from heat, and let sit for exactly 12 minutes.
- Cool and peel. Transfer eggs immediately to an ice bath and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Peel under cool running water and pat dry.
- Chop the eggs. Coarsely chop eggs — you want some texture, not a paste. A mix of larger and smaller pieces gives the best result.
- Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Combine. Add chopped eggs, celery, and chives to the bowl. Fold gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.
- Chill (optional but good). Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors come together. The egg salad keeps well for up to 3 days.
- Assemble and serve. Spoon generously onto bread, top with a lettuce leaf, and finish with a pinch of paprika on top. Anyone who skips the paprika is wrong, and you are welcome to hold that position firmly.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 520mg