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Xis gaúcho
Xis: Porto Alegre's giant pressed burger with egg, ham, cheese, corn, peas and salad
Porto Alegre's lancherias and late-night food trucks press the xis (the Portuguese name for the letter X, which sounds like 'cheese', as in X-burger) on a hot griddle with a heavy lid until a giant round bun is flat, crisp and holding everything together: a beef patty, a fried egg, ham, melted cheese, sweetcorn, peas, lettuce, tomato and lots of mayonnaise. It is huge, messy and much loved after a night out or a football match, usually cut in half and shared. Its pork element is the ham. The common mistake is stacking it too high before pressing, so the fillings slide out; spread them in flat even layers right to the edges. Minced beef must be cooked through to 71 °C with no pink in the middle. Chef's tip: press the assembled sandwich under a heavy pan with a weight on top if you have no sandwich press, and turn it once.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the patties
For the xis
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Divide 1 ⅓ lb minced beef into 4 and press each into a thin patty a little wider than the buns. Season with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper.
Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil on a griddle or large frying pan over a high heat and cook the patties for 3–4 minutes a side until browned and cooked through to 160°F with no pink.
8 minStep 3: Add the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil and fry 4 eggs for 3 minutes until the whites are set; break the yolks if you like them firm. Warm 4 slices cooked ham on the griddle at the same time.
3 minStep 4: Spread 1 oz butter on the cut sides of 4 large round soft buns and toast them cut side down for 1 minute.
1 minStep 5: Spread 3 ½ oz mayonnaise on both halves. On each base, layer a patty, 1 slice of 8 slices mild melting cheese, ham, an egg, another slice of cheese, then 4 oz sweetcorn and 4 oz peas.
Step 6: Put on the tops and press the sandwiches on the griddle under a heavy pan for 2–3 minutes a side, until flattened, crisp and the cheese has melted.
6 minStep 7: Open the tops, tuck in 4 leaves lettuce and 2 tomatoes, close again, cut in half and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 920 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 56 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does xis gaúcho take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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