Deviled Eggs... with Bacon

Finger food is always the first to go at parties. Am I right? And one of the staple spring time appetizers is Deviled Eggs. They are an oldie but a goodie; creamy, delicious and more or less healthy. They aren’t messy and you can eat them in a single bite; or two if you’re not being greedy. Hehe. Whatever your reason for loving them is, you are going to chomp them down like the deviled egg devouring chow hound that you really are. And to make your eating experience even more pleasurable, I have added bacon. Because if you don’t like bacon, you don’t have a soul. It is a scientific fact. Look it up.

Makes 24 eggs

Ingredients:

2 dozen eggs

10 pieces of cooked bacon

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 ½ tbsp. stone ground mustard

2 tsp dill

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp smoked paprika, more for sprinkling

1 tsp olive oil

2-4 tsp baking soda

¼ - ½ cup parsley, for topping

piping bag, optional

Instructions:

Place eggs in a sauce pan/pot that can hold them all without stacking them. (I had to use two.)
Fill the cooking receptacle with water that stands about an inch above the eggs. Also, add a tsp or two of baking soda to the water if you have it. It makes the eggs easier to peel.
Turn on your stove and bring the water to a boil. Allow the eggs to boil for 1-2 minutes, then cover the pot, remove from heat and leave them resting (covered in the water) for 12-14 minutes.
While your eggs are cooking, consider baking your bacon at this time. Use the hyperlink for a simple recipe to BAKE your BACON. (It is way more consistent than pan frying it.)
Peel the eggs while they’re still warm. Don’t burn your fingers. But I have found they peel better this way.
Halve the eggs lengthwise and keep 20 of the 24 yolks for the filling. Place the halved eggs onto a large baking sheet for easy assembly/storage.
In a Kitchenaid stand mixer (or you can hand beat them) combine the yolks, mayonnaise, stone ground mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, olive oil and dill. Beat until completely smooth.
Chop up your bacon (7 of the 10 pieces, reserve the other 3 for topping) into very small pieces. This is especially true if you plan on using a piping bag to fill your eggs. You don’t want it to clog your tip.
Add the chopped up bacon, add it to the mixer and mix again until it is well distributed.
If you’re using a piping bag, add the desired tip to the bag and fill with the yolk mixture to the designated line. Pipe the center the eggs until the filling is about ½ an inch above the surface. If you’re not using a piping bag, the instructions are pretty similar except that you’re filling with a spoon.
Repeat this process until you are done will all 24 eggs.
Chop up the remainder of your bacon and set it aside.
Sprinkle extra paprika for color, chopped up parsley and bacon to finish off the eggs.