Porto Francesinha 🥪

Método

1. 1

   Make the sauce first: sweat onions, garlic and bay in butter until jammy (12 min). Add purée, cook 3 minutes; flame-deglaze with port, add stock and simmer 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Blend the sauce smooth, return to the pot; slacken flour with a ladle of sauce, stir in with mustard and hot sauce, simmer until it coats a spoon. Keep warm.

3. 3

   Fry the steak in screaming-hot lard 90 seconds a side with the beer splashed in to steam-caramelize; rest, then cut to bread size. Grill the sausage halves until blistered.

4. 4

   Build a stack in buttered ovenproof dish: bread, ham, steak, sausage, salpicão, bread. Repeat once for a double-decker, top with a final bread slice.

5. 5

   Lay cheese over the roof, spoon sauce around (not on) the stack, then extra cheese on top. Grill 5-7 minutes until the cheese bubbles and edges char.

6. 6

   Drench with the remaining warm sauce at the table and serve with fries cooked in the same butter pan. Portuguese rule: beer or vinho verde alongside, napkins within reach.