Not Your Mom's Egg Salad Sandwich

Do you remember eating egg salad sandwiches when you were little?

I do. 

My mom would make them the night prior so they would be ready for me to grab before school the next day. I was probably a minority but I actually liked egg salad sandwich days. Despite the fact that, come lunch time, the sandwich had morphed into a limp, mushy and stinky sad state of affairs, I would eat it anyway because I still thought it tasted good. And because I loved my mom (Thanks, mom!).

As an adult, I sometimes get the hankering for a good egg salad sandwich. And while I appreciate my mother's best intentions of giving me something good to eat for lunch, I tend to make my egg salad sandwiches a wee bit differently.

I always think about color, texture and flavors when I develop recipes. I can't help it. So, when I got to planning out how to make an egg salad sandwich my recipe had to include all of those elements. 

I knew I wanted to use up the French radishes I had sitting in the fridge from last week's farmers' market run for their color and delightfully peppery crunch. After that, everything else sort of just fell into place. I added a few tarragon leaves, a splash of white wine vinegar to wake things up, and some cheery yellow mustard. And the eggs, of course. Can't forget the eggs. 

In the end, the egg salad sandwich tasted delicious with the piquant radishes and anise-flavored tarragon. A more fanciful version of our childhood egg salad sandwiches, this one is all about fresh, crisp flavors. 

Egg Salad with French Radishes, Tarragon and Chives

Makes four sandwiches

6 hard-boiled eggs; peeled and chopped roughly

1/4 cup roughly chopped French radishes*

2 tablespoons minced shallot

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Splash white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Sliced ciabatta bread

*Feel free to use regular radishes you typically find in the supermarket. I found French radishes at the farmers' market, so that's what I used. 

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chopped eggs, shallots and radishes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and white wine vinegar. Pour this mixture into the bigger bowl with the eggs. Gently combine the ingredients together. 

Add in the chopped chives, tarragon and cayenne pepper (if desired) and mix again. Taste for seasonings. 

This egg salad usually tastes better after it has sat in the fridge for a few hours to help sort out the flavors, but it can be eaten right away at this point. 

Spread onto a slice of bread for an open-faced sandwich or put it between two slices and enjoy!