If you struggle to get your family out of the kitchen while you’re focusing on the turkey and are desperate for no distractions, I suggest you casually place a platter of these deviled eggs in the room you’d like them to gather in. I guarantee they’ll be like bees to honey, fleeing your workspace and helping you to not freak out in the eleventh hour.

A holiday twist on classic deviled eggs

There is just something about the warm, earthy flavor of fresh sage that tastes of Thanksgiving, which is why it’s the shining star in this recipe. Here it’s sauteed with chopped shallots into a sweet, aromatic mixture that begs to be used for flavoring a classic, mayonnaise-enhanced deviled egg filling.

To be honest, you could really leave it at that and these two-bite appetizers would shine (and you absolutely can if you’d like to keep it vegetarian), but finishing the deviled eggs with bacon crumbles adds a salty, smoky element that puts them over the top.

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

Makes 24 pieces

12 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small shallot, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

4 slices bacon

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and fill with enough cool water to cover the eggs by an inch or two. Place the pan over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, remove the pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the aromatics and bacon.

2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sage and saute until softened and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Add the bacon to the skillet and cook until browned and crisp, flipping halfway through, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop or crumble the strips into small pieces.

3. Remove the cooked eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon, tap each gently on the countertop to crack the shell in a few places, then submerge in ice water for at least 1 minute. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise.

4. Gently squeeze the eggs to separate the yolks from the whites and use your fingers to remove the yolks. Transfer all the yolks to a medium bowl. Arrange the empty whites on a platter, cut-side up.

5. Mash the yolks with a fork until they are completely crumbled. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and mash the filling until a smooth paste forms. Stir in the shallot and sage mixture, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and season with more salt as needed.

6. Use a spatula to scoop all the filling into a plastic ziptop or piping bag. (Alternatively, you can scoop the filling into the egg whites with a spoon.) Press the bag with your hands to push all the filling to one corner and press any air out of the top. If using a plastic bag, snip one bottom corner off with a pair of scissors.

7. Pipe the filling into the cup of each egg white, filling the cups so that the filling mounds a little over the top. Sprinkle the deviled eggs with the bacon crumbles and serve.

Recipe notes: The eggs can be hard-boiled and peeled up to one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You can also make the filling and bacon crumbles up to one day ahead, but store the filling in a piping bag or in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, and transfer the bacon to an airtight container. Store everything in the refrigerator. Fill the egg white shells when ready to serve.

Leftover deviled eggs can be kept refrigerated for up to five days, but might not look as pretty.

(Sheela Prakash is a senior contributing food editor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)

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