This Deviled Egg Dip is Sohla El-Waylly's dinner party go-to

This recipe for Deviled Egg Dip is from Sohla El-Waylly’s new cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. It’s an easy twist on a classic party food that you can easily scale up for large gatherings. In fact, El-Waylly told us this appetizer is one of her dinner party go-tos. Read more about why she thinks it’s better than devilled eggs, and get all the advice she shared for hosting a great dinner party, right here.

Deviled Egg Dip

By Sohla El-Waylly

After many years of hosting, I’ve learned that people get most excited over the classics: a cheese platter, shrimp cocktail, and deviled eggs. I like to make this crowd-pleaser even easier by turning it into a dip. Feel free to double or triple the quantities if you have big egg heads coming to dinner and portion the dip in multiple bowls to refresh the table throughout the night. When it’s a party for people I really like, I’ll skip the paprika and top the dip with big dollops of trout roe instead.

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs
• 4 tbsp full-fat cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia brand, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ½ small white onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 10 dashes of Tabasco sauce, plus more to taste
• Smoked paprika
• Butter crackers for serving

Special Equipment:

• Spider (or slotted spoon)
• Fine-mesh sieve

Preparation

Cook the eggs: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with cool water and ice. Using a spider (or slotted spoon), lower the eggs into the boiling water, cover, and set a timer for 9 minutes. (If the boiling becomes too vigorous, turn down the heat. You want gentle bubbles or else the eggs will knock into one another and crack.) 

When the timer is up, use the spider (or slotted spoon) to lift out the eggs. Lightly crack each with the back of a spoon, transfer to the bowl of ice water, and let fully cool, about 5 minutes. Starting at the blunt end, peel each egg and gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. 

While the eggs cook: In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and melted butter until smooth. Fold in the onion. (This will be mixed with the egg whites.) 

Using a sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the yolks and place in a fine-mesh sieve; set aside. 

Roughly chop half of the egg whites (12 halves or 6 whole eggs’ worth) into 1/4-inch chunks and combine with the cream cheese mixture. (Reserve the extra egg white halves for another use or feed them to your dog.) 

Taste the cream cheese mixture and season with salt and pepper as needed. Scrape into a shallow serving bowl and evenly spread into one layer. Place in the fridge to chill while you mix the egg yolk topping. 

Place the sieve of yolks over the bowl you just used to mix the egg white base (no need to clean it out) and use a rubber spatula to press the yolks through the sieve. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and Tabasco and mix until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste and more Tabasco as needed. 

Scrape the yolk mixture over the white and use the back of a spoon to make swoops and swirls like you’re frosting the top of a cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight to chill before serving. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and serve with butter crackers. 

Serves 6-8

From Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook © 2023 by Sohla El-Waylly. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.