Eiersalat (Austrian Egg Salad)

In my grandmother Eva's kitchen in Deal, hard-boiled eggs appeared constantly. Egg mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch, devilled eggs when people came round, eggs tucked into salads and onto open sandwiches. But the version I loved best was the one Gretel made when Easter was coming. She'd boil the eggs, chop them into big pieces, and fold them into a dressing that was lighter than anything British, sharpened with mustard and vinegar, softened with a spoonful of yogurt. Essiggurkerl diced small. Apple for crunch. Chives from the garden. It looked plain. It tasted like spring.

Eiersalat is Jause food, which means it belongs on a board with bread and butter and whatever else you have, radishes, cold cuts, maybe some cheese. Jause is the Austrian answer to afternoon tea, except instead of scones you get open-faced sandwiches and salads and things that taste honest and real. Eiersalat sits at the center of that tradition. It's not trying to impress you. It's trying to feed you well.

The trick is restraint. Good eggs, properly cooked so the yolks stay golden. A dressing that's tangy and light, not thick and cloying. Enough crunch from the gherkins and apple that every bite has something going on. You can make this in twenty-five minutes and it's better the next day. At Easter, Austrians pile it onto bread alongside Osterschinken (Easter ham) and freshly grated horseradish, and there's nothing on that table that doesn't earn its place.