EGG AND OLIVE SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 5 whole hard-boiled eggs (Boiled until fully set, then peeled and cooled before chopping)
• 15 whole large olives (Stoned (pitted); green or black olives both work well)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter (Melt gently and allow to cool slightly before mixing)
• 0 to taste salt (Add a small pinch at a time and taste as you go)
• 0 to taste pepper (Freshly ground black pepper recommended)
• 0 as needed thin slices of white bread (Use pre-sliced sandwich bread or ask your baker to slice it thinly; enough for your desired number of sandwiches)
• 0 to taste butter (Softened at room temperature for easy spreading directly onto the bread slices)
• 1 per sandwich olive (One whole olive per sandwich for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1Place the 5 eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully drain the hot water, then transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water (or run cold tap water over them) and leave them to cool for at least 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, gently tap each egg on the counter to crack the shell, then peel it away completely. Set the peeled eggs aside on a clean chopping board.
2. 2Place each peeled hard-boiled egg on your chopping board and use a sharp knife to chop them as finely as possible. You are aiming for very small, even pieces — almost crumb-like. Transfer the chopped egg into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. 3If your olives still have their stones (pits), remove them now. You can do this by pressing down firmly on each olive with the flat side of your knife until it splits, then pulling the stone out with your fingers. Alternatively, use an olive pitter if you have one. Once all 15 olives are pitted, chop them finely on the chopping board until they are in very small pieces, similar in size to the chopped egg. Add the chopped olives to the bowl with the egg.
4. 4Place 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Watch it carefully and remove it from the heat as soon as it has fully melted — do not let it bubble or brown. Allow the melted butter to cool for a minute or two so it is warm but not piping hot before adding it to the egg mixture.
5. 5Pour the warm melted butter over the chopped egg and olive mixture in the bowl. Use a fork or spoon to stir and mash everything together until you have a cohesive, moist paste — the mixture should hold together when pressed. Season with salt and pepper, adding a small amount at a time, tasting as you go, until the flavour is to your liking. Note that olives can be quite salty, so go easy on the salt at first.
6. 6Lay out your thin slices of white bread on a clean work surface. Make sure your butter is softened at room temperature so it spreads easily without tearing the bread. Spread a thin, even layer of softened butter across one side of each bread slice, going right to the edges.
7. 7Spoon a generous amount of the egg and olive paste onto the buttered side of one bread slice and spread it evenly from edge to edge using the back of a spoon or a butter knife. Place a second buttered bread slice on top, buttered-side down, pressing gently to bring the sandwich together. Repeat with the remaining bread slices and filling.
8. 8Place each finished sandwich on a plate or serving board. Top each sandwich with one whole olive as a garnish — this can be placed on top of the sandwich, or secured with a cocktail stick if you prefer a more formal presentation. Serve immediately.