Chivito Sandwich

Name: Chivito Sandwich
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 large brioche burger buns; 4 yellow onions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 4 thin sirloin steaks (4 oz each); 1 clove garlic, halved; 8 rashers thick-cut bacon; 8 slices ham, thin-sliced; 8 slices fresh mozzarella, sliced; 2 ripe tomato, sliced; 4 leaves butter lettuce; 4 large eggs; 2 tbsp Dijon mustard; 4 tbsp chimichurri sauce, homemade or jarred; 1 tbsp olive oil

From the kitchen of Carly

Uruguay's national sandwich. Steak, ham, mozzarella, bacon, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and a heap of caramelized onion on a toasted brioche bun. Engineered for the kind of dinner where one is enough. Make the caramelized onions ahead. Twenty-five minutes is the floor; rushed onions are the chivito killer.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

4 largebrioche burger buns
4yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tbspunsalted butter
4thin sirloin steaks (4 oz each)
1 clovegarlic, halved
8 rashersthick-cut bacon
8 slicesham, thin-sliced
8 slicesfresh mozzarella, sliced
2ripe tomato, sliced
4 leavesbutter lettuce
4large eggs
2 tbspDijon mustard
4 tbspchimichurri sauce, homemade or jarred
1 tbspolive oil

Instructions

Caramelize the onions first; they take the longest. Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium-low. Add the sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until deeply golden and jammy. Set aside.
Cook the bacon in a separate skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
While the bacon cooks, rub the steaks all over with the cut sides of the halved garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a hot skillet or grill pan. Sear the steaks 90 seconds per side for medium-rare. Move to a cutting board, tent with foil to keep warm.
Fry the eggs in the same pan: crack each into the residual fat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, sunny-side up, with crisp edges and a runny yolk.
Toast the cut sides of the buns in a dry pan or under the broiler for 30 seconds.
Build each chivito: bottom bun, smear of Dijon, butter lettuce leaf, slice of steak, slice of ham, 2 slices of mozzarella (let the residual heat from the meat melt them), 2 strips of bacon, slice of tomato, generous spoonful of caramelized onion, fried egg on top.
Drizzle chimichurri over the egg. Add the bun lid. Press down gently. Eat over a plate; this is not a tidy sandwich.
Serve with extra chimichurri and any remaining caramelized onion on the side.

Substitutions

thin sirloin to skirt steak, flank, or ribeye. Skirt and flank are traditional in South America. Whatever you use, slice across the grain and keep it thin.
brioche bun to kaiser roll, ciabatta, or toasted English muffin. Kaiser is the most authentic substitute. The bun needs structure to hold the load.
chimichurri to homemade: parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes. Blend a handful of parsley, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp pepper flakes. Salt to taste.

Pairs well with: Crispy fries or a side of chimichurri-roasted potatoes, A glass of malbec or a cold lager, A simple cabbage and red onion slaw

Adapted from TheMealDB.