Francesinha — Portuguese Meat and Cheese Sandwich with Alcohol-Free Sauce

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Divide the ready-to-eat paprika sausage into four equal portions and split each lengthwise. On a separate cutting board, split the raw sausages lengthwise; pat the steaks dry and season with 2 g of salt and half the pepper. Wash your hands and utensils after handling raw meat, and have an immersion blender ready for finishing the sauce.

Heat 20 ml of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion for about 5–7 minutes, until softened and lightly golden. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for about 1–2 minutes, then briefly stir in the sweet paprika and chili. Pour in the passata and 400 ml of broth, then add the bay leaf, sugar, remaining 2 g of salt and the rest of the pepper. Simmer over low heat with the lid ajar for about 20 minutes, until the onion is completely soft; cook the meat as described in the following steps while the sauce simmers.

Heat the remaining 10 ml of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and arrange the raw sausage halves in a single layer. Cook for about 8–10 minutes, turning halfway through, until browned and hot, with the sausage filling evenly set all the way through. Transfer to a plate and cover, then cook the ready-to-eat paprika sausage in the same skillet for about 2–3 minutes, turning until heated through and lightly browned. Put it with the other sausages, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.

Preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 220°C. Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high and cook the steaks in two batches for about 1–2 minutes per side, until the surfaces are browned. Transfer them to the plate with the sausages and cover while you finish the sauce. Lower the heat, carefully pour the remaining 100 ml of broth into the skillet and simmer for about 2 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a spatula. Pour the liquid and fat into the saucepan of sauce and add any juices collected on the meat plate.

Take the saucepan off the heat, remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce smooth with an immersion blender. Mix the cornstarch thoroughly with 40 ml of cold water, pour into the sauce and stir. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook for about 3–5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon but still flows freely. Cover and keep on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally while you assemble the sandwiches.

Arrange the eight slices on a dry baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for about 4–5 minutes, turning halfway through. The bread should be warm and lightly golden on the surface, but still soft in the center. Take out the baking sheet and leave the oven on.

Leave four bread slices on the baking sheet as the sandwich bases. Top each with a slice of ham, one steak, two halves of a cooked fresh sausage, a portion of paprika sausage and a second slice of ham. Arrange the filling as evenly as possible within the edges of the bread so the sandwiches stand securely, and pour any remaining juices from the plate into the sauce.

Cover the filling with the remaining four bread slices and press lightly. Arrange four slices of cheese over each sandwich, overlapping them so they hang over the sides. Bake on the middle oven rack for about 5–7 minutes, until the cheese has completely melted over the bread and the sandwiches are hot.

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring. Use a wide spatula to transfer the hot sandwiches to four deep plates and divide all the sauce among them, pouring it over the tops and around the bread. Serve immediately with a knife and fork.