Every family has that one deviled egg recipe — the one that nobody has ever written down, the one that shows up at every holiday, every funeral, every potluck, and it’s usually made by the same person. This version is how my family has been making them as long as I can remember (and surely before that too). They’re simple, they’re classic, but they’ll never do you wrong. Just eggs, mayo, a little mustard, and sweet pickle relish, and one teensy little trick gives you a result that’s exactly what deviled eggs are supposed to taste like.

Fun fact: Deviled eggs themselves go back way further than any of our grandmothers, actually. Stuffed, seasoned eggs were being served as a fancy appetizer as far back as ancient Rome, and the word “deviled” has been used since the 1700s in England to describe food that’s been spiced up or seasoned assertively. Somewhere along the way, deviled eggs became a fixture of American potlucks, picnics, and holiday tables… and they’ve never really left.

What Ingredients Do You Need for Grandma’s Deviled Eggs?

It’s such a short, simple list! You’ll need:

• Eggs. Obviously.
• Mayonnaise.
• Yellow mustard — just a teaspoon, for a little tang.
• Sweet pickle relish. A must.
• Paprika — for dusting on top, because deviled eggs aren’t deviled eggs without it.

And some salt and pepper, of course.

How Do You Make Grandma’s Deviled Eggs?

The secret to easy deviled eggs is really the secret to easy-peel hard-boiled eggs. Cover your eggs with cold water by about an inch, bring it to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat completely and then let them sit undisturbed for 12 minutes. While they sit, get an ice bath ready, then transfer the eggs straight into it once that timer goes off. That ice bath does two things: it stops the cooking, yes, but it also helps those shells slip right off. It can seem like an annoying extra step, but I find it’s always worth it.

Then for the filling:

Slice those eggs in half and pop the yolks in a bowl. My family are a casual bunch so we just mash those yolks up with a fork and then add some mayo, a touch of mustard, some sweet relish, and salt and pepper. I honestly have never seen anyone measure anything and it always works out fine.

Now for the “trick” that really makes these: take a little spoonful of that relish juice and stir it into the yolk mixture. It sweetens things just a tad, gives it the right consistency, and well, makes them truly Grandma’s as they’re meant to be.

Spoon or pipe that filling back into the egg whites, depending on how fancy you’re feeling, and then dust them generously with paprika. That’s a must!