Bacon & Egg Salad on Rye Toast
bacon & egg salad in a creamy dressing with herbs and crunchy vegetables on toasted rye bread
yield: 8 small toasts or 4 large toasts
Ingredients
- ½ lb raw bacon
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 radishes, thinly shaved on a mandolin
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp minced fresh chives
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups watercress
- 8 slices rye bread, toasted*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lay the bacon onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Gently place the eggs into the boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Let cool. Crack the eggs. Cut them into quarters lengthwise, and then into half crosswise.
- Combine the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, coriander, and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Fold in the eggs, celery, green onions, radishes, dill, and chives.
- Roughly chop the bacon. Fold ¾ of it into the egg salad. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Distribute the watercress onto the toasted bread. Spoon a large mound of egg salad over top. Garnish with the remaining bacon and any extra herbs.
Notes
For the bread, I bought a fresh loaf of dark rye bread and sliced it into 8 slices (approximately ½” thick). The loaf was only about 5 inches in diameter, so it resulted in fairly small toasts. If you use a loaf of rye sandwich bread that’s larger in diameter, you’ll most likely have enough egg salad for 4 slices.
To toast the bread, my favorite way is to toast it in olive oil. Heat a skillet over medium heat and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, work in batches to toast the bread for a couple of minutes per side until crisp. Transfer the toast out of the skillet and season with a pinch of salt. Repeat until all of the bread is toasted. Or, you can always just toast the bread in a toaster.