The first time I saw hard-boiled eggs that had been pickled in beet juice, I found them a bit garish. But the pickling process both gives a slight tang to, and further firms up the whites to make them a sturdier carrier for a standard deviled filling.
Makes 12 deviled eggs
½ pounds small beets, scrubbed
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, pullets preferably
1 cup non-chlorinated water
1 cup white wine vinegar
31/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to taste
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Black pepper
Slice the beets in half. Slice the halved beets very thinly into almost paper-thin chips. Place in a medium bowl with the hard-boiled, peeled eggs. Combine the water, vinegar, 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) salt, sugar and pickling spice in a small saucepan.
Pace the pan over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a simmer and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Pour the hot pickling liquid into the bowl with the beets and eggs. Cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 but up to 10 hours.
Remove the eggs from the pickling liquid. They will be bright pink, almost purple in color. Pat dry. Slice each in half. Remove the yolks from the whites, placing the former in a small bowl and the latter on a serving platter. Use a fork to mash up the yolks. Add the mayonnaise, minced shallots, mustard, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Stuff each egg white half with about 2 teaspoons of filling. Refrigerate the deviled eggs until ready to serve them with the drained, quick-pickled beet chips.
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