The Chivito: Uruguay's Iconic Steak & Egg Sandwich #eattheworld

Check out all the wonderful Uruguayan dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

See all of our delicious dishes we're sharing with you today!

Magical Ingredients: Tortas Fritas 

Sneha’s Recipe: Torta Frita -Uruguay 

Pandemonium Noshery: Polvito Uruguayo 

Palatable Pastime: Grilled Chicken Pinchitos 

Sugarlovespices: Uruguayan Pancho Hot Dog with Fries on the Side 

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Pasta Caruso 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Empanadas a la Criolla, Uruguayan Wines, and Upcoming #TannatDay 

Kitchen Frau: Torta de Fiambre (Baked Ham & Cheese Sandwiches) 

Cultureatz: Chaja Cake, an Uruguayan Peach Meringue Layer Cake 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Milanesa Napolitana 

Making Miracles: The Chivito: Uruguay's Iconic Steak & Egg Sandwich

I was pretty excited to see a steak and egg sandwich as a traditional and even iconic food choice! It made my selection easy when I was browsing recipe ideas. I love steak and eggs - and happen to have a few good steaks left in the freezer and thought this would be a great time to use one or two! There seem to be many iterations and variations - the steak and egg (hardboiled or fried) seem to be the most important and recurring ingredients. Mozzarella seems to be a more traditional cheese choice. I don't think you can go wrong with steak and egg (and bacon!!) on a toasted bun. This was a delicious and huge sandwich - I shared half of it with my son who was happy to finish it for me! 

I am pretty sure the funniest thing about this sandwich is that apparently "chivito" means "goat" and there is no goat to be found in this sandwich, which according to the history I could find came about when a woman ordered the sandwich expecting goat, but the restaurant owner didn't have any and used beef and voila! "The Chivito" was born.  

The Chivito: Uruguay's Iconic Steak & Egg Sandwich

Ingredients

1 kaiser roll

1 TBS mayonnaise

1 lettuce leaf, rinsed and dried

1 slice bacon

2 slices ham lunchmeat

1 3 or 4 oz steak, pounded thin or sliced in half

salt and pepper

1 slice cheddar, colby jack, or mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1 medium roma tomato, in 3-4 thick slices

Directions

1. Pound the steak out thinly, or slice in half.
2. Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Fry the bacon in the skillet until crispy, and then remove to drain on paper towels. Leave bacon grease in the pan, and sear steak on both sides for about 3 minutes (to medium doneness). Set aside on a plate to rest.
3. Add a little nonstick cooking spray if needed to the skillet, and fry the egg to over-medium (for firm whites, but soft yolk). Pan fry the ham slices once the egg is cooked, just until it begins to get some color on it. 
4. Whiles the egg is cooking, lightly toast the bun under your oven broiler for just a couple minutes (watch carefully so it doesn't burn).
5. Smear the bun with the mayonnaise, and stack the steak, followed by the cheese, bacon, ham, egg, lettuce and tomato. Top with the other half of the bun and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Spruce Eats