Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Preparation

1. Set your Memphis Wood Fire Grill to 425F and use desired flavor of wood pellets for this cook.
2. Remove 1 Tbsp of Thyme leaves from the sprigs and set aside. Rinse the beets, trim the top and the bottom, and toss with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and the thyme leaves. Wrap the beets individually in foil. Place in an aluminum pan and bake in the grill for 75 minutes, or until the beets yield to gentle pressure.
3. While the beets are roasting, prepare all the other ingredients for the salad.
4. Whisk the remaining olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and minced garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt, to taste. Whisk and set aside.
5. Halve the tomatoes and slice the red onion into thin slices.
6. Place the pistachios in a Ziplock bag and gently crush with a mallet.
7. After 75 minutes, remove the beets from the grill and let steam.
8. When cool enough to handle, unwrap and slip the skins off the beets using a paper towel or kitchen gloves. Cut the beets into smaller pieces.
9. Add the tomatoes, red onion, and baby arugula to a large salad bowl or serving platter. Season with Big Swede BBQ Badass Veggie Boost.
10. Top with the roasted beets, pistachios, goat cheese, and fresh basil. Serve immediately with the balsamic dressing on the side.