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