One of the nice things about having our own hens is that when a friend asks if you’ll bring something to a brunch, the answer is always “Yes!” And often, that same friend will say in one of those “pretty please” voices, “deviled eggs?”

They’re of course, ridiculously easy to make. Hard-cook your eggs, slice in half, mash the yolks with mayo and pickle relish and salt and pepper, and fill the hollows back in. I’ve got a classic recipe in my Farmstead Egg Cookbook, and also one with shrimp and cilantro.

Usually, you can make 2 deviled eggs for every shell egg. But the problem with those cut-lengthwise deviled eggs is that they roll around during transport. And you don’t want to cover them tightly with plastic wrap and mush the pretty yellow filling. What to do?

Well, when you have a fridge full of freshly laid eggs, you can be quite generous. Hard-cook the eggs as usual. Peel. Then lop off the top third of the narrow end. Proceed as with regular deviled eggs, but, now you have a larger hole to fill. Place the eggs in a clean egg carton, and use to both transport and serve them in. Isn’t that clever?