Bacon and Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

3 tablespoons yellow mustard (eyeball it)
2 teaspoons (about a small palmful) smoked paprika, plus additional for garnish
6 pieces thick-cut bacon
12 eggs (save the carton they came in!)
2 tablespoons pickle relish (eyeball it)
3 tablespoons grated onion (about 1/2 small onion)
A few dashes hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy!)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (eyeball it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Yields: 4-6 servingsd

Preparation

Put the eggs in a saucepan, fill it halfway with cold water and set over high heat.

When the water boils, turn off the heat, place a lid on the pot and let sit 10 minutes. Place the pot of cooked eggs in the sink and run some cold water over the eggs until both the water and the pan feel cool. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, take them out of the water, roll each egg on a work surface to crack the shell and carefully peel off the eggshells.

While the eggs are cooking, place a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy and golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Once cool, chop into small pieces and reserve.

Place the eggs on a cutting board and cut a quarter off the egg from the fat rounded end to expose the yolk. Next, cut just a sliver off the pointed end so the egg is able to sit upright without rolling over.

Once all the eggs have been cut, scoop out the yolks into a medium-size mixing bowl. Place the egg white shells back into the egg container for easy transport and filling, making sure the holes are pointing up so you can fill them with the delicious bacon-y mixture.

Grab your bowl of yolks and break them up a little bit using a fork. Add in the chopped bacon, smoked paprika, mustard, relish, grated onion, hot sauce and mayo, and give everything a good stir. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Make an instant pastry bag by spooning the egg mixture into a plastic, re-sealable bag and squishing it all into one of the bottom corners. Snip off a small triangle from the bottom of the filled bag and squeeze out a bit of yolk mixture into each of the egg whites. Once all eggs are filled, dust them with a little of the smoked paprika, close the carton lid and you're good to go.