A simple, seasonal, sensational side: Eggplant with Dill and Yogurt

Roasted eggplant, fresh dill and Greek yogurt make a delicious summery dish that can be served warm or chilled. Recipe below.

THE SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF MASSIVE RAINS turned around the scary drought we’d been experiencing here in Illinois, and it had a more intimate effect: our Japanese eggplant, which had been struggling and miserable, suddenly and eagerly began producing.

I was standing in the garden, holding the first few long, slim eggplants and thinking fine, now what? when I noticed that we still have plenty of the first flush of dill.

I suspect that by now my neighbors—my eternally patient and wonderful neighbors—are inured to me bumbling around in the back yard, quietly muttering and cursing, and then racing inside with a wild look on my face. When I looked for ways to use the freshly harvested eggplant and dill, Lady Google suggested this recipe, from the Food Network.

This recipe is a refreshing, easy summer dish. Cut up the eggplant; roast it with garlic and shallots, toss with the dressing, serve warm. It’s not much more complicated than that. Our version is even simpler than the original from the Food Network. It’s good as a cold dish, but is best served still warm. We’ve made it a couple of times now, each time as a very nice side, to accompany a simple grilled chicken. I think it would also be a lovely sandwich, for instance stuffed into a pita with some fresh tomato slices and perhaps a bit of hummus.

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Eggplant with Dill and Yogurt

Roasted eggplant, fresh dill and Greek yogurt make a delicious summery dish that can be served warm or chilled.

Course Side Dish

Servings 4 as a side

Equipment

• Two baking sheets or pans lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper

Ingredients

For the eggplant:

• 2 pounds eggplants, preferably Japanese (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 big cloves of garlic, each peeled and cut into two or three pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the sauce:

• 4 ounces of plain Greek yogurt (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 tablespoons fine chopped fresh dill
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400ºF, with one rack just below the middle position and the other just above it.
• Peel the eggplants and cut them into small chunks—the pieces should be about the same volume to ensure they will all roast up in the same amount of time. Keep in mind that they will shrink somewhat during roasting. Put the pieces in a medium bowl.
• Prepare the baking sheets. Add the olive oil to the bowl of eggplant and immediately stir with your hands to distribute the oil uniformly. Divide the eggplant between the two baking sheets. Add the shallots and garlic—just scatter them around—then immediately put the pans in the oven.
• The eggplant will take about 40 minutes total to roast. At about 8 or 10 minutes, remove the baking sheets from the oven to toss everything and ensure things look good. At about 20 minutes, reverse the position of the pans in the oven, top to bottom. At about 30 minutes, stir everything again. If you think the eggplant is looking dry, add a bit more olive oil and quickly stir with a spatula.
• While the eggplant is roasting, put the yogurt in a small bowl and stir in the fresh dill. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• The eggplant is done when it is nicely browned and soft—around 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the eggplant, along with the shallots and garlic, into a serving bowl. Add the yogurt sauce, gently stir everything together, check the seasonings, and that’s it. This is ready to serve.

Kitchen Notes

What if I can’t get Japanese eggplants? That’s okay. Use the kind you have—conventional purple eggplants are fine. Just make sure the eggplants look shiny and robust and don’t have that slightly deflated, scarred look. Also, note the plural, eggplants. Don't try to get a 2-pound eggplant! Smaller, heavier feeling eggplants will taste best.

Which yogurt? The ideal yogurt here is a Greek-style yogurt that is nicely tangy—to me, Chobani has just the right balance for this dish. If you like, or if the yogurt you have is just too bland, feel free to adjust with a bit of lemon juice.

Variations? The original of this called for adding walnuts to the roasting pan for the last few minutes. My thought about that is eh, but I would consider adding cut-up bits of orange or a bit of chopped chive, stirred in at the end.

More eggplant ideas? We love eggplants and cook with them pretty often, and we especially love the long, slender Japanese varieties. You might also like to try our Eggplant Adobo, or our Chinese Egg Noodles with Beef and Hot Bean Sauce.