The Francesinha is a traditional Portuguese sandwich that combines soft bread, steak, two types of sausages, ham, cheese, and a fried egg. What makes this rich sandwich so uniquely Portuguese, is the beer sauce that it’s served with. It’s a typical dish from the city of Porto that was invented in the 50’s. While it’s a sin to not have it when visiting Porto, you don’t need to go all the way to Porto to try it! Continue to read to learn how to make authentic Francesinha sandwiches at home!
The Story Behind Francesinha
The name Francesinha, which literally translates as ‘little french girl’, it’s believed to be a reference to the French sandwich Croque Monsieur. Its creator, Daniel da Silva, had previously lived in France, and took inspiration from the French classic to create his very own cheesy sandwich. His version, though, included local sausages and a lightly spicy beer sauce. He served his Francesinhas in a restaurant in Porto called A Regaleira. Soon it became incredibly popular with the locals, and over time several restaurants and cafés came up with their own recipe and most importantly, their own special sauces.
The Secret Sauce
Some people say the most important component of a Francesinha sandwich is the sauce, even more so than what’s inside. There isn’t a single recipe for it, and it might taste slightly different from restaurant to restaurant. It’s usually made with onions, garlic, bay leaves, chopped tomatoes, and beer. Some recipes include chili powder or a whole chili and other spirits such as port wine, and brandy. The sauce is blended until smooth and silky and poured on top to melt the layers of cheese. The more traditional Francesinha cafés take a lot of pride in their sauces and don’t give away their recipes.
Authentic Francesinha Recipe – The Beer Sauce
To make authentic Francesinhas, you will need several ingredients both for the sauce, and for the sandwich. Let’s start with the sauce, you will need lard, olive oil, onions, garlic, bay leaf, chopped tomatoes, beef stock, a red chili (piri piri), and a mix of beer, port wine, and brandy. The onions and garlic are fried with lard and olive oil with the bay leaf until almost caramelised.
You then add the remaining ingredients and let the sauce simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes before blending until smooth and seasoning with some salt and black pepper. My personal touch is to add a spoon of Worcestershire sauce, known in Portugal as ‘english sauce’.
The Sandwich Layers of a Francesinha
Now for the sandwich, you need soft sandwich bread, two types of sausages, one beef steak, sliced ham, cheese that melts, and an egg. The sausages used in Portugal are salsicha fresca, and linguiça picante. The former is a raw sausage that’s usually seasoned with paprika and garlic but not smoked, the latter it’s smoked and slightly spicier.
As for the steak, you could either pick a more premium cut such as sirloin or flank steak, or use a tenderizer to soften tougher cuts. The steak shouldn’t be too tall so it’s easier to cut through while eating. The sandwich is topped with a fried egg with a runny yolk and sliced cheese arranged around it. When it’s time to serve, the hot sauce is poured on top, melting the cheese and coating the fries. Yes, our little french girl is typically served with French fries!
How to Make Francesinha – Portuguese Meat and Sausage Sandwich
Francesinha – Traditional Portuguese Francesinha Sandwich Recipe
1
servings20
minutes1
hour1028
kcalThe Francesinha is a traditional Portuguese sandwich that combines soft bread, steak, two types of sausages, ham, cheese, and a fried egg.
Ingredients
- Francesinha Sauce
1 tbsp Lard
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion – Sliced
3 Garlic Cloves – Whole
1 Bay Leaf
4 Sprigs Thyme
1 tin Chopped Tomatoes (400g)
500 ml Lager
500 ml Beef Stock
100 ml Ruby Port
50 ml Brandy
1 Red Chili – Whole
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt
Black Pepper
- Sandwich Ingredients
2 slices Sandwich Bread
4 slices Cheese
2 slices Sandwich Ham
1 Pork Sausage
1 Smoked Pork Sausage
1 Thin Steak
1 Egg
2 tbsp Olive Oil
French Fries
Directions
- Making the Sauce
- Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add in the lard, the olive oil, the sliced onions, the whole garlic, the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Let it cook for about 8 minutes or until the onion starts to brown.
- Add in the tinned chopped tomatoes, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Pour in the beer, port wine, and brandy, give it a good stir. Allow the alcohol to evaporate for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the beef stock, the whole chili, and the Worcestershire sauce. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes with the lid on.
- Pull out the bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. With a hand mixer, blend the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Making the Sandwich
- Place a large skillet over medium to high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the sausages, turning them regularly, until evenly cooked. Cut them in half, then slice open lengthwise. Set aside.
- Use the residual oil in the skillet to cook the steak for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place a small non-stick pan over medium to high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, then crack the egg in. Let it cook for 3 minutes uncovered for a runny yolk.
- While the egg cooks, lightly toast both slices of bread, then assemble the sandwich in the following order: bread, sliced ham, steak, sausages, bread.
- Bring the Francesinha sauce back to a boil.
- Place the fried egg on top of your sandwich, arrange the slices of cheese around it.
- Pour enough hot Francesinha sauce on top for it to melt the cheese and pool on the plate. Serve with French fries. Enjoy!
Notes
- The beer sauce is enough for 4 Francesinhas, and can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
- You can use wood skewers to pin the sandwich and keep the layers together.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!