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Field to Feast: Beef & Beet Fajitas

You’re in for a real treat this week with a new episode of Field to Feast. We recently had the opportunity to hang out with a group of friends in the Baton Rouge community who are farming, distributing, and cooking up fresh ingredients for the locals.

First, we met up with local celebrity chef, Jay Ducote.  He is well known for his delicious food and can often be found at his very popular restaurant in MidCity, Government Taco. Chef Ducote can put anything in a tortilla and make it taste divine!

Chef Jay Ducote and I started our shopping day with a visit to Fullness Farm.  We met local farmer Grant Guidroz and picked fresh beets, carrots, and herbs while discussing the awesome flavor that comes from growing your own food. Fullness Farm has a wide variety of vegetables and more they sell at the Red Stick Farmers Market. They also sell direct from the farm to local Chefs and customers looking for farm fresh ingredients.

Our second stop was to Iverstine Butcher Shop where we hooked up with Galen Iverstine and picked out a delicious cut of meat from the many choices available at his meat counter.  We even got to watch his butcher cut our selection right in front of our eyes.

When our shopping was complete, we went back to Chef’s house and made the best fajitas I have ever had in my life.  We roasted the beets and pickled the carrots, marinated the meat and seared it on the flat top. We finished the fajitas off with fresh herbs, and lunch was served. 

It was a wonderful experience to spend the day with Grant, Galen, and Jay.  These guys are great friends and have made a huge impact on the local food scene with their hard work and dedication to fresh and local Louisiana ingredients!

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Jay D’s Beef Fajitas with Fullness Farm Roasted Beets and Pickled Carrots

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Ingredients:

BEETS:

  • 4-5 beets, multiple colors, ideally

  • 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • 2 tsp Jay D’s Backyard Brisket Rub (or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

  1. Peel and cut beets in quarter inch cubes.

  2. Drizzle with olive oil. 

  3. Sprinkle with Jay D’s Backyard Brisket Rub.

  4. Spread out on cookie sheet in single layer and roast in the oven at 425 degrees until roasted, about 10-12 minutes.

PICKLED CARROTS:

  • 2 cups water

  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar

  • 1 bunch of farm carrots

  1. Add water to sauce pan over medium high heat.

  2. Add rice wine vinegar into your water.

  3. Cut carrots into thin strips with a vegetable peeler.

  4. Let the carrots simmer on the stove in the water and vinegar while everything else is cooking.

LOUISIANA BEEF:

  • 1 lb Bavette, or the sirloin flap, sliced against the grain.

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 lime, juiced

  • 1 Tbsp Jay D’s Sweet & Savory Chile Rub

  • 8 flour tortillas

  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

  1. Marinate the beef in olive oil, lime juice, and Jay D’s Sweet & Savory Chile Rub. Refrigerate for a couple hours, if time allows.

Instructions:

  1. Heat a grill or griddle to a high, direct heat. 

  2. Place the beef on flat top or grill in an even layer and sear. 

  3. Cook the meat until it has a slight char, flipping regularly with tongs to ensure an even cooking. 

  4. Pull meat off the flat top or grill and let it rest.

  5. Heat up your tortillas and add in Louisiana beef, roasted beets, and pickled carrots.

  6. Finish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

LINKS

Field to FeastMonica Velasquezbeef, beets, carrots