Francesinha — Porto's Molten Sandwich with Steak

Ingredients

• 10 oz Steak, thinly cut
• 4 slices thick white bread
• 4 slices cooked ham
• 2 fresh sausages, split and cooked
• 8 oz mild melting cheese, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp piri-piri or hot sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 eggs (optional, for the top)
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Start the sauce: soften the onion in the butter, add the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, then pour in the beer and broth with the piri-piri. Simmer 20 minutes.
2. Slake the cornstarch in a splash of cold water and whisk it in; cook 2 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon. Taste for heat and salt — it should be spicy, savory, and slightly bitter from the beer.
3. Season the Steak and sear it hard in a dry hot pan, 2 minutes per side, then rest it.
4. Build each sandwich in layers: bread, ham, sausage, Steak, bread. Drape the cheese over the top and down the sides so it seals the whole thing.
5. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 8 minutes, until the cheese melts into a blanket, or run it under a broiler watching closely.
6. Set each sandwich in a shallow bowl, ladle the hot sauce over until it pools, and top with a fried egg if you are committing fully. Fries on the side, in the sauce.