Despite having raised hundreds of chickens and developed dozens of egg recipes, your Cook the Vineyard editor (Susie Middleton) has never really gotten over an aversion to hard-boiled eggs. But her best friend Eliza Peter, who tests all of the recipes for Susie’s books, loves egg salad, especially on toast. So Eliza created this recipe when working on Susie’s fourth book, Simple Green Suppers. Serving egg salad on crunchy artisan toast, with a few leaves of arugula or other greens and sliced tomato in season — is a great way to go. A few slices of avocado wouldn’t hurt, either!

Our recommended way to cook the eggs is to cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, cover, remove from the heat, and let sit for 10 minutes. No “hard” boiling! Perfectly cooked.

Serves 4

  • 6 “hard”- cooked eggs, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, more for toast
  • 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh chives
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon (or several grinds) black pepper
  • 2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced (in season)
  • 2 cups arugula (or as much as you like)
  • 4 large ½-inch thick slices peasant bread
  • Olive oil


1. Slice the eggs with an egg slicer or slice them coarsely with a knife. Put them in a bowl and mash them with a fork until coarsely mashed. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper and stir until just combined. Fold in most of the chives, reserving a few for garnish.

2. Heat a broiler to high and brush both sides of the bread slices with a little olive oil or mayonnaise. (Mayonnaise creates a slightly crisper toast.) Arrange the toasts on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little salt. Broil both sides of bread until lightly golden (about 2 minutes per side).

3. If toasts are very large, you can cut them in half crosswise. Arrange toasts on a platter or individual serving plates and top evenly with a portion of arugula leaves, reserving some for garnish. Top each toast with a portion of the egg salad, the remaining chives, 2 slices of tomato, and a few leaves of arugula on top.