By Eric Griffey
Photography by Brooks Burris
For chef and restaurateur Lanny Lancarte, Thanksgiving’s first distinction was that everyone could stop working. His family’s restaurant, Joe T. Garcia’s, closed only three days a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. In a household organized around feeding other people, the holiday offered a rare opportunity to gather around a meal of their own.
“Thanksgiving was always a pretty big deal because it was one of the three days that everyone was off work,” he says.
His maternal grandmother was a gifted Southern cook, and the table reflected her influence: turkey, stuffing and the familiar provisions of an American Thanksgiving. His parents usually hosted, with aunts, uncles and grandparents joining them. Lancarte, the oldest of his generation, grew up among adults whose daily lives were closely tied to the restaurant.
“In our family, we woke up and went to work,” he says.
Working at Joe T. Garcia’s gave him an early education in the business. Culinary school broadened his ambitions, and Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana became a place to explore a more elaborate style of Mexican cooking. Then, in 2014, he changed course, replacing the fine-dining restaurant with Righteous Foods and its emphasis on health-conscious cuisine.
His Thanksgiving offering brings those influences together: pork tenderloin with mojo de ajo and roasted sweet potatoes, finished with turmeric-pickled golden raisins, maple-candied walnuts and shaved Parmesan. The garlic sauce works across both dishes, dressing the vegetables and spooned over the sliced pork.
“I always like to put some kind of Mexican ingredients with it,” he says. The tenderloin offers an alternative to preparing a whole turkey. The sweet potatoes supply a familiar holiday flavor, although their treatment is distinctly his own. Roasting deepens their sweetness; the pickled raisins add acidity, the walnuts crunch and the Parmesan a salty finish. Garlic and lime keep the plate from becoming an uninterrupted procession of sweet things.
“I love sweet potato,” Lancarte says. “A roasted sweet potato, it’s one of my favorite things to eat, breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
Much of the work can happen ahead. The raisins, walnuts and mojo can be prepared before Thanksgiving, leaving roasting and assembly for the day itself. It is an approach that makes sense for someone who knows how much labor goes into a meal, and how easily that labor can claim the person meant to be enjoying it.
Lancarte has continued finding new ways to feed people beyond Righteous Foods. His delivery-focused Eat Fajitas launched in 2020, followed by an expansion into additional concepts; the fajita business remains part of his work today. At home, Thanksgiving now generally brings together about 15 family members, with aunts and uncles sometimes stopping by and plans coordinated around children, parents and in-laws. For several years, he and his wife took their two children skiing instead, establishing a smaller family tradition away from the usual rounds of gatherings.
“In a perfect world,” he says, “I’m skiing with my family, my two small kids.”
The trips have not happened the past couple of years. But the appeal is easy to understand. For a man who grew up knowing exactly which three days the restaurant would close, time together has always been among the holiday’s most valuable offerings.
Lanny Lancarte’s Mojo de Ajo Pork Tenderloin
Serves 6–8 | Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes to rest the pork before cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds each), silver skin removed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- ¼ cup mojo de ajo (recipe below), using the garlic-infused oil plus some of the roasted garlic
- Flaky salt and chopped parsley, to finish
Directions
- Season the pork with the salt, cumin, paprika, and pepper. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Sear in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes per side, until
browned all over. - Rest 10 minutes; the temperature will coast to 145°F. Slice into ¾-inch
medallions. - Spoon warm mojo and its garlic over the top, then finish with flaky salt and
parsley.
TO PLATE: Shingle the medallions over or beside the roasted sweet potatoes so
the mojo drips onto them. The Parmesan, candied walnuts and turmeric raisins
carry both dishes, tying sweet, sour and garlic notes across the plate.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with turmeric-pickled golden raisins, candied walnuts and Parmesan
Serves 8 | Active time: 45 minutes | Total time: about 2 hours, including pickling
time
Turmeric Pickled Golden Raisins (make ahead)
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Simmer everything except the raisins until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the raisins and steep at least 1 hour, or overnight for the best color and tang.
Candied Walnuts
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the syrup, butter, salt, and cayenne and stir until glossy and nearly dry, about 2 minutes.
- Spread on parchment to cool and crisp.
Mojo de Ajo
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 20 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Warm the garlic and oil over the lowest heat for 15–20 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold. Stir in the lime juice and salt. This makes enough for the sweet potatoes
and the pork.
STORAGE: Garlic held in oil at room temperature can support bacterial growth,
including botulism. Refrigerate the mojo and use within 4 days.
Sweet Potatoes
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1½-inch wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ⅓ cup mojo de ajo, with plenty of garlic
- 1 cup shaved Parmesan
- Chopped parsley or cilantro
Directions
- Heat the oven to 425°F with two sheet pans inside. Toss the sweet potatoes with
the olive oil and salt. - Roast on the hot pans, cut side down, for 35–40 minutes, flipping once, until
deeply browned and tender. - While still hot, toss with the mojo de ajo so the garlic clings.
- Pile onto a platter. Scatter the Parmesan, drained raisins,s and walnuts over the
top, and finish with herbs.
MAKE-AHEAD: The raisins, walnuts and mojo can all be done 2–3 days ahead
(keep the walnuts airtight). Day-of work is only roasting and assembling. Roast the
potatoes while the pork rests — both go in at 425°F, so the timing lines up.
Lanny Lancarte’s Restaurants
Righteous Foods
3405 W. Seventh St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-850-9996
eatrighteously.com
@righteousfoods
Eat Fajitas
3405 W. Seventh St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-850-9996
eatfajitas.com
@eat.fajitas