Most egg dishes feel at least a tiny bit glamorous. Soufflé omelettes, croque madames, salmon frittatas, and hefty, foil-wrapped BECs are breakfasts that make you feel like you’re the cool-kid in the room. Cooler than that kid with the perpetually wet boiled eggs in a bag, anyway. Boiled eggs are humble, but I’ll be damned if they can’t be glammed-up, too. Make a boiled egg breakfast absolutely slap with the addition of dips.
Other egg dishes are usually mixed with cheese or vegetables, sandwiched between breads, or draped with salt-cured meats to achieve their spot on the breakfast table, and boiled eggs deserve the star-treatment, too. Most of us will push aside small children to get first crack at the platter of deviled eggs, as a little mayo and seasonings in the yolk can make all the difference. The universe of dips takes it a step farther. With the sheer variety of dips on this planet, you could have a different flavor profile for every breakfast this month.
I know it’s a thin line we tread between dip and sauce, but we’re talking dips here. They’re more substantial and less runny, a thick concoction that stands up in a mound versus in a pool. If you blend, mash, or grind up fruits or vegetables into putty, it’s dip. If you would take a chip or a torn piece of bread and scoop up a mouthful of it, it’s dip. The beauty of dip is that the perfect one to partner with your most delicious boiled egg will be… Your favorite dip! If you love guacamole, use it. Jalapeño hummus? By all means! Babaganoush, salsa, raita, french onion dip? Use it (and maybe even consider a chip and dip omelette later).
Simply take a couple heaping tablespoons of your chosen dip and give it a decorative swirl on your plate using the back of your spoon. Split a boiled egg in half, or into quarters, and nestle them amongst their new flavorful dressing. Be a boiled-egg badass and combo your dips. Smear spicy zhoug on a plate, top with a broken boiled egg, and slather the whole thing with a scoop of cooling raita. What was once a small, bland, snack has now been transformed into a properly enviable egg dish. (Add some toast points and Eggs Benedict might get upset.)
You can even make it portable. Part of what dooms the hard boiled egg to the “boring” category is that it’s easy to travel to work with. Unadorned, humid, and lacking flavor, the boiled-work-egg is the least exciting egg. Change this by taking the dip with you. If you love store-bought dip, it’s already helpfully packaged and ready to go. Homemade dip can be toted along in a small Tupperware. Once you’re at work, cut the egg in half (because you should always travel with a knife) and dollop away. I suppose you could also break the egg with your hands and scoop, but a knife helps. If you’re mindful about the dip you choose, it’s an easy way to sneak in added fibrous vegetables and nutrients. Babaganoush is mostly mashed eggplant, and salsa is loaded with tomatoes, peppers, and onions. The helpful addition of plant matter might keep you feeling more full for longer (at least until you can take a break and buy some pita chips for any of that leftover dip).
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