Directions

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2Trim and scrub clean the beets. Do not peel.

3Combine ingredients together in a dutch oven with a fitted lid, or tightly wrap foil over the top of a baking dish.

4Bake (or braise, rather) in the oven for at least 45 minutes, then test firmness of beets with a fork.

5Continue to braise until beets are fork tender, similar to the texture of a firm but ripe pear. Depending on the size of beets, this may take up to 90 minutes.

6Remove from oven and let cool in cooking liquid.

7You can either serve beets whole (or quartered) with skins intact. The dish will be more nutrient dense with the skin, but also more "earthy" flavored. For a more elegant presentation (or for folks who aren't yet fans of beets) I'd suggest removing the skins.

8Once cooled, simply fish the beets out of the braising liquid (no not discard liquid!) and use a clean rag or paper towel to gently scrub off the skin.

9Discard the skin, half or quarter the beets and return peeled beets to braising liquid.

10Store and serve braised beets and cherries in the cooking liquid.

11Serve chilled or at room temperature with a spoon so that guests can enjoy the sauce as well!