Francesinha (Porto-style sandwich with meat and rich spicy sauce)

Method

1. Start by making the francesinha sauce, if you did not buy it ready made. If you did, warm it slowly in a pan over low heat, so it gets properly hot without boiling hard.
2. Grill the thin beef steaks for 2 minutes per side on a very hot griddle. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the fresh sausages and the linguiça too, 6 to 8 minutes, turning them, until fully cooked and nicely coloured. Set aside.
3. Lightly toast the slices of sliced bread. You can do this in a toaster or on a griddle. They should be slightly crisp, but not hard.
4. Start assembling the francesinha: on one slice of bread, lay a slice of ham. On top, add the grilled steak. Then add the fresh sausage and the linguiça (halved lengthways, if you prefer).
5. Cover with more ham and then with the second slice of bread. On top of that, lay the mozzarella slices so they cover the bread and the filling completely.
6. Bake the francesinha in the oven preheated to 180°C for about 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese has melted completely and starts to bubble slightly.
7. While the francesinha is in the oven, heat the vegetable oil to 180 °C in a deep pan or fryer and fry the chips in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes each, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.
8. Take the francesinha out of the oven and put it on a deep plate. Pour the piping hot sauce generously over it, covering the whole sandwich and the plate.
9. Serve immediately, with the chips alongside and the remaining sauce in a jug on the side.