Francesinha
A robust and flavorful Portuguese sandwich featuring layers of various meats and cheese, all melted together under a rich, spicy tomato and beer sauce. It's a hearty meal, traditionally served with a side of French fries to soak up the extra sauce.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Per serving
- 1,503 kcal
Allergen information: may contain gluten and milk. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
sauce
- 0.5 pcsyellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 clovegarlic, minced
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 1 cupbeef broth
- 1 cupbeer, lager style
- 1 pcsbay leaf
- 1 tsppiri-piri sauce
sandwich
- 4 pcswhite bread, thick slices
- 200 gsteak, thinly sliced sirloin or minute steak
- 100 glinguica sausage, sliced
- 100 gfresh sausage, sliced, like chipolata
- 4 slicewet-cured ham
- 8 sliceprovolone cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pinchsalt
- 1 pinchblack pepper
garnish
- 300 gfrench fries, for serving(optional)
Equipment
oven-safe plate · saucepan · frying pan · knife · oven
The method
Step by step
- 1
Begin by preparing the Francesinha sauce. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
About 1 min
- 2
Add the yellow onion and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
About 7 min
- 3
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
About 2 min
- 4
Pour in the beef broth and beer, then add the bay leaf and piri-piri sauce.
About 1 min
- 5
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low and let it cook for at least 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.
About 30 min
Cook’s note: The longer the sauce simmers, the richer its flavor will be. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- 6
While the sauce simmers, prepare the sandwich components. Season the steak with salt and black pepper.
About 2 min
- 7
In a separate pan, sear the steak quickly on both sides until cooked to your liking. Cook the linguica sausage and fresh sausage until browned.
About 8 min
Cook’s note: Do not overcook the steak; it should remain tender.
- 8
Toast the white bread slices lightly.
About 2 min
- 9
To assemble each sandwich, place one slice of toasted bread on an oven-safe plate. Layer with wet-cured ham, steak, linguica sausage, and fresh sausage.
About 2 min
- 10
Top the meat layers with another slice of toasted bread.
- 11
Completely cover the top bread slice and sides of the sandwich with provolone cheese slices.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Ensure the cheese covers all visible bread and meat to create a seal.
- 12
Preheat your broiler or oven to high.
About 5 min
- 13
Place the assembled sandwiches under the broiler or in the hot oven until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.
About 3 min
Cook’s note: Watch carefully to prevent burning.
- 14
Remove the bay leaf from the finished sauce. Ladle a generous amount of the hot Francesinha sauce over each cheese-covered sandwich.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: The sauce should completely engulf the sandwich.
- 15
Serve immediately, optionally accompanied by french fries to soak up the delicious sauce.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 1,502.5kcal
- Protein
- 81.3g
- Carbs
- 75.4g
- Fat
- 93g
- Fibre
- 6.7g
- Sugar
- 9.9g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Francesinha is best enjoyed fresh; storing is not recommended due to the sauce and cheese.
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