This is not a traditional Cobb salad, but I like the substitution of the deviled eggs with a bit of heat. If that doesn’t suit your palate, chop the eggs and add them unseasoned to the salad. This makes a lovely dinner for two.
Cobb Salad with Spicy Deviled Eggs
Eggs:
4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled
1 tablespoon mayo
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon dried mustard
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Salad:
4 slices bacon
6 cups salad greens*
¼ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and dill
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups cooked chicken cubes**
12 grape tomatoes sliced in half
1 Haas avocado peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 thin slices red onion
4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Directions:
1. Boil eggs. Peel and slice in half lengthwise when cool.
2. Mix yolks with 1 heaping tablespoon mayo, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper, pinch of salt and freshly ground red pepper.
3. Fill eggs with mixture, cover tightly and refrigerate.
4. Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. I use the microwave. Place paper towels above and below bacon. 5. Check for doneness after four minutes.
6. Gently toss salad greens with lemon juice first and then oil. Do the same with the spices.
7. Add all other ingredients except blue cheese. Toss again.
8. Add blue cheese crumbles. Resist the urge to add extra at this time. A little blue cheese goes a long way.
9. Toss, and let sit about 10 minutes.
10. Adjust for taste.
11. Arrange eggs on top.
12. Serve!
*A mix of greens is especially good. Here I used baby spinach with the stems removed and green leaf lettuce.
**Any kind of cooked chicken will taste right, but grilled white meat, especially if it is juicy, is my preference. I cooked this chicken quickly on a cast iron fry pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt and paprika. It took about four minutes on each side. Cook the meat only until it turns white inside. Or, even better, remove the meat from the heat when a very thin line of pink remains. The chicken will finish cooking as it rests. This is a chef’s trick I learned from my son, a food industry professional.
Kathy Mathieu is the creator and moderator of the inclusive blog Food Sharing Network. She started the site when she realized that most conversations turned to food. Kathy also is the owner of The Red Wagon Group, a PR and communications firm based in Rutherford. She loves to cook, write and eat, and is thrilled to be part of Jersey Bites.
