In the Kitchen With Ricky: Egg salad biscuit sandwiches are a fun addition to Easter brunch

If your Easter was anything like mine when I was growing up, we always had dyed hard-boiled eggs left over from the morning Easter egg hunt. I know nowadays it’s probably less likely that people (or, um, the Easter Bunny) use hard-boiled eggs to set around the house or yard for the little ones’ activity, but it was always a favorite tradition.

There was another issue: What to do with all the leftover eggs? With two siblings and a slew of cousins, you can only imagine how many eggs there were, and, after all, there are only so many deviled eggs you can eat. The obvious second choice is egg salad, so today I am sharing a recipe for an egg salad variation that can be a fun addition to Easter brunch or any lunch.

This is not your typical egg salad. The addition of bacon adds a nice crunch, and a much-needed pop of freshness comes from fresh dill and chives. Fresh lemon juice and mustard help to add another touch of brightness. Feel free to make the egg salad the night before, as it holds up well.

Using savory biscuits as a vessel for this egg salad is a perfect match, and the mix of chives, buttermilk and black pepper has almost a sour cream and onion feel about it. These biscuits are great served with breakfast or a traditional Southern meal. They are also great for making a sandwich with leftover Easter ham, so I suggest making a double batch.

If you’re having a larger get-together, this could be a fun interactive meal. Set up a make-your-own egg salad sandwich bar by laying out all sorts of accoutrements like additional strips of bacon, thinly sliced radish, cucumber or celery, greens, avocado, tomatoes, pickles, etc. Then everyone can build their own biscuits with whatever toppings they like.

Egg Salad Biscuit Sandwiches

For the egg salad:

6 large, hard-boiled eggs

¼ cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons chopped chives, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Juice from ½ large lemon

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

5 pieces thick bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

For the biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon raw sugar (turbinado)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped chives.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

¾ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing on top of the biscuits

Additional kosher salt and pepper to top biscuits

Make the biscuits first. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, black pepper and chives.

Add the cold butter, using your fingers to work it into the mixture until it resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.

Add in the cold buttermilk and mix with your hands until a soft dough forms.

Dump out and knead the dough on a floured surface until it comes together.

Clean off your hands and flour them.

Using your floured hands, pat the dough into a 1¼-inch-thick square that roughly measures 6 inches by 6 inches

Using a knife, cut into quarters.

This should yield four 3-inch square biscuits.

Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the tops with more buttermilk and sprinkle them with black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt.

Place into the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, set aside and cool.

While the biscuits are cooking, make the egg salad.

Combine the mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons chopped chives (set aside the remaining tablespoon for garnish), dill, lemon and mustards with a whisk, then set aside.

Peel the hard-boiled eggs, making sure no shells remain. I like to peel mine under running water and then dry them with a paper towel.

Dice the eggs into large pieces and add them to the dressing mixture.

With a rubber spatula, fold the eggs and dressing mixture until combined.

Fold in the chopped bacon and set aside.

Build the egg and biscuit sandwiches by splitting open the cooled biscuits and dividing the salad between them.

Garnish with the remaining chopped chives.

Yield: 4 biscuit sandwiches

Local award-winning chef Ricky Webster, owner of Rind and Wheat and the new Morsel, can be reached at ricky@rindandwheat.com. Follow Webster on Instagram @rickycaker.