New Year's Eve Eggs

When my family hosted a New Year's Eve gathering, my Mom made "Stuffed Eggs." The eggs are unlike anything I've eaten in this country, and they have little in common with deviled eggs.

Here's how we make them. We hard boil eggs. After the eggs have cooled, we do not peel them. Instead, we use a sharp butcher knife to slice the eggshells in half diagonally. Some shells, naturally, get lost in the process, but that's okay. We need more "stuffing" than shells anway.

Once the eggshells are halved, we remove the egg white and yolk and chop them up very finely: mince, mince, and mince. To the minced eggs, we add a bit of sour cream (but of course!), a touch of prepared mustard, a handful of chopped, fresh dill, salt, and pepper. We stuff this mixture back into the eggshells. The stuffing should not be mounded into the shell; it should be packed flush with the eggshell's cut edge. The eggs can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated.

Just before serving, dip the stuffed tops into melted butter and breadcrumbs (some people use crushed "Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers," but we are old school and go with the breadcrumbs). Heat some butter and vegetable oil in a fry pan. Place the eggshells, breadcrumbed side down, in the fry pan and cook for a few minutes, until they are lightly browned.

Now that's a memory!

Suburban Chicago, December 31, 1962. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Mom prepare the "New Year's Eve Eggs" in the kitchen of my childhood home. There was a phone in every room of that house because because the phone was always ringing. There's that 1957 intercom system—that never worked.