The recipe comes from Saveur magazine; it was featured in an article about Georgian (the country, not the state) cuisine. The beets are absolutely delicious! I made a few little changes (namely roasting peeled, cubed beets as well as using less oil and butter than the original recipe suggested).
4 medium beets, peeled and cubed in 1 1/2” chunks (roughly- don’t get the ruler out!)
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on beets
1 T butter
1 T EVOO
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup dried tart cherries (I used Montmorency tart cherries)
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 400º; place the beets in a ceramic roasting dish and drizzle with EVOO; season with salt and pepper and cover with foil tightly. Roast for about 45 minutes and then remove the foil and continue roasting for another 15-30 minutes. Check on them after 15 to see if they are getting soft as well as caramelized nicely. You can give them a stir if necessary.
Meanwhile, melt the butter and 1 T EVOO in a small sauté pan; add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent- around 5 minutes or so. Add the cherries to the pan and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half- approximately 10 minutes more or less. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Stir in the beets and serve at room temperature.