Hard cook your eggs the old-fashioned way, in a steamer, or in a pressure cooker. (I won't tell anyone if you buy the pre-cooked peeled eggs at the store.)

For those of you who don’t have a pressure cooker, steaming your eggs is another cooking method that makes them super easy to peel. I follow this technique from Serious Eats, which involves filling a large pot with an inch of water, plopping in a steamer insert, covering the pot, and bringing the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, carefully arrange the eggs in a single layer in the steamer insert. Cover the pot and steam the eggs for 12 minutes.

When the eggs are finished cooking, scoop ’em out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to an ice bath to chill for at least 5 minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, slice the chilled bacon crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Toss the bacon slices into a large cast iron skillet and crank the heat up to medium. Slowly render the bacon until the grease is released and the bits get crunchy (around 15 to 20 minutes).

Transfer the crispy bacon bits onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to cool.

Peel the eggs and cut them in half, lengthwise. Pop out the yolks into a bowl and add the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice. Stir and smush, until mostly smooth.

Roughly chop the egg whites and add them to the bowl along with the minced shallots, parsley, chives, salt and pepper.

Mix carefully to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Scoop into serving bowls lined with lettuce leaves, if desired. Top with sprouts and crispy bacon bits.

If you really feel like stuffing something, I recommend spooning your egg salad into mini sweet bell peppers. The peppers offer a brightly sweet and crunchy balance to the creamy, rich egg salad. 

You can store the egg salad in the fridge for up to 4 days—just don’t add the sprouts and bacon bits until you’re ready to serve!