Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs already sit on the low-carb end of the party tray. This version blends pimento cheese into the yolk filling and trades the usual dusting of paprika for crushed Pimento Cheese pork rinds, so the top gets crunch and the filling's flavor twice.

A classic deviled egg is yolk, mayo, mustard and a shake of paprika. Pimento cheese makes the filling thicker and tangier, and a food processor whips it until it's closer to mousse than paste. The eggs do most of the protein work, at about 6.3 grams per large egg in USDA data.

What the Pork Rinds Bring

Crushed pork rinds do the job breadcrumbs or fried shallots would, without the flour. An ounce of plain pork rinds carries about 17 grams of protein and no carbs. The Southern Recipe Small Batch Pimento Cheese flavor echoes the filling, so the topping reads as part of the recipe rather than a garnish. Crush them right before serving, since they soften once they sit on the filling.

The Recipe

You'll need:

• 12 large eggs
• ¼ cup pimento cheese, homemade or store-bought
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons chives
• Diced pimentos packed in water, plus a little liquid from the jar
• Sliced green onions, for topping
• Fresh dill or chives, for topping
• Pimento Cheese pork rinds, crushed, for topping

The build:

1. Place the eggs in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil, let it bubble for 1 minute, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Set the pot in the sink and fill it with cold water. Leave the eggs in cold water for about 30 minutes, dumping and refilling a few times. Add ice if the water warms up.
3. Peel the eggs, set them on a paper towel, slice them in half and gently remove the yolks.
4. Add the yolks, pimento cheese, mayo, mustard, garlic powder and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth and mousse-like. If it's too thick, add a drop of liquid from the pimento jar.
5. Stir in the chives, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Spoon the filling into the egg whites, or pipe it with a pastry bag.
7. Top with diced pimentos, green onions, fresh herbs and crushed pork rinds, and serve.

A Few Notes

If you make your own pimento cheese, hold back a few pimentos from the jar for the garnish.

Fill the eggs a few hours ahead if you need to, but add the crushed pork rinds at the last minute so they stay crisp.

Any bag of flavored pork rinds and chicharrones from PorkRinds.com works on top. The Pimento Cheese bag just matches the filling.