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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

Chivito (Uruguay's steak sandwich)

30 min · 2 chivitos

Uruguay's national sandwich: thin, tender steak stacked with ham, melted mozzarella, bacon, a fried egg, peppers, olives, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a soft bun, with fries. Gloriously too much.

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The real one

You need

• 2 thin beef tenderloin or sirloin steaks (churrasco), about 120 g (4 oz) each, pounded to 5 mm
• Salt and pepper
• 2 soft, large sandwich buns
• 4 slices ham
• 4 slices mozzarella
• 4 rashers bacon
• 2 eggs
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted and sliced (or from a jar)
• 8 green olives, sliced
• Lettuce, tomato slices, mayonnaise
• Fries to serve

How to make it

1. Bacon and eggs (6 min): Fry the bacon until crisp, set aside, then fry the eggs in the bacon fat until the whites set and the yolks are still soft.
2. Sear the steak (3 min): In a very hot pan, cook the seasoned steaks 1 minute a side.
3. Melt (2 min): Lay 2 slices ham and 2 slices mozzarella on each steak in the pan, cover and cook 1 minute until the cheese melts.
4. Toast the buns (2 min): Split and toast them cut side down.
5. Stack: Spread both halves with mayo. Build: lettuce, tomato, the steak with ham and cheese, bacon, peppers, olives and the fried egg. Close, skewer with a toothpick and serve with fries.

Tips

• Pound the steak thin so it's tender enough to bite through.
• Order 'canadiense' in Montevideo and you'll get the version with Canadian bacon; this is close.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.