I had a bunch of fresh tarragon leftover from the Asparagus with Tarragon Sherry Vinaigrette that I made a little while back. It's become my mission to waste as little food as possible these days (times are tough, and anyway, wasting food is so ... well, wasteful). So I looked through The Book to find other dishes that used tarragon, and I came across this recipe for egg salad sandwiches.I've always loved egg salad. I know a lot of people get turned off by the smell of hard-boiled eggs or the texture of egg salad. But for me, I really like it's rich creaminess. This recipe takes the run-of-the-mill chopped-eggs-and-mayo salad to the next level with the addition of some finely chopped shallot and tarragon and a shot of red wine vinegar. The Book says to add the tarragon "to taste." Well, I love tarragon, so I used a liberal handful of the stuff. The flavor was great. The shallots gave the salad a little bit of texture and just the right amount of mellow "oniony-ness." The vinegar lightenend it up and gave it a little bit of a zip that mayo alone can't provide. The Book calls for topping the sandwich off with fresh tender pea shoots, but seriously, folks, where am I going to get fresh pea shoots in February? Thankfully, The Book says that shredded lettuce is an acceptable alternative.
I'm really glad that I made this recipe since it's been so long since I've had an egg salad sandwich that I'd forgotten how much I like them. I don't know if I'd make this exact recipe again (I don't know if it's worth shelling out four bucks to buy a bundle of fresh tarragon just to make a sandwich for a weekday lunch) but I'll certainly make something similar again soon.
Date Cooked: February 22, 2009
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Rating: B+
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