And if you think getting rid of the Thanksgiving turkey is a problem, try 101 ways to serve hard-cooked eggs.

Between cholesterol and salmonella, eggs have gotten a bad rap in the last few years. But most nutrition experts will tell you that the egg has been sadly maligned, given its nutritive value.

Although it's fairly high in cholesterol at 215 milligrams per egg, most of the flap started when eggs were originally thought to contain a more outrageous amount because of imprecise testing methods.

Of the 5 grams of fat, 2 are saturated, 2 are monounsaturated and 1 is polyunsaturated. Even the American Heart Association revised its recommendations from three eggs a week to four. And, yes, all the fat and cholesterol are contained in the yolk.

Eggs are a good source of protein and a fairly good source of iron and B vitamins, including B12 and folic acid, all of which is particularly important if you're pregnant or a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

As for salmonella, current recommendations are still to avoid recipes that call for eating raw eggs. With hard-cooked eggs, the problem is more likely to be other forms of food poisoning. To avoid that risk, the American Egg Board recommends the following, particularly at Easter time:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before handling the eggs at every step including cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding.
• Don't color or hide cracked eggs.
• When coloring eggs, use water warmer than the eggs and refrigerate them in their cartons right after coloring.
• Refrigerate them again after they've been hidden and found.
• Don't eat cracked eggs or eggs that have been out of refrigeration for more than two hours.
• If the eggs will be used as a centerpiece or other decoration or will be out of refrigeration for a longer period of time, cook extra eggs for eating and discard the eggs that have been left out.

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid hot pepper seasoning
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley or cilantro
Spinach or lettuce leaves, optional
Hard-cooked egg slices, optional
Parsley sprigs, optional

8 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
Flour
2 pounds bulk sausage meat
1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 beaten eggs
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Roll out sausage meat on flat surface with a pastry roller. Mix bread crumbs with the mace, salt and pepper and put them in a shallow dish.

Take each hard-boiled egg and dip it into the beaten eggs, then put it on the sausage meat and, using your fingers, wrap the meat over the egg until it is entirely covered. Be generous with the meat - it should be at least 1/2-inch thick around the egg.

Once egg is covered, roll it in the bread crumb mixture and smooth it back into shape so that it still resembles an egg. When all the eggs have been wrapped this way, heat the oil and deep-fry the eggs until they are golden brown.

Allow the eggs to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. Makes 8 eggs.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium potato, cut into quarters and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cups chopped, rinsed, stemmed spinach (about 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill OR 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground pepper to taste
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated feta OR Swiss cheese

To brown top, put frittata under preheated broiler for about 2 minutes or slide frittata onto plate and flip it upside down back into skillet to brown other side on stove.

To serve, cut frittata in half. Makes 2 servings.