Instructions

1. Rinse the eggplant under cool running water and dry it with a towel. Cut a lemon in half and set it aside.

2. Lift the green foliage at the stem end of the eggplant and cut about 1/4 inch from the tip. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Immediately rub the cut surfaces of the eggplant with a sliced lemon half, squeezing it gently as you do so. Eggplant oxidizes, softens and browns within seconds after cutting. Lemon juice prevents the eggplant from browning and softening.

3. Wrap the half of the eggplant you won't roast tightly in plastic wrap and place it a storage bag. Store the eggplant half in the refrigerator up to two days, but use it within one day for best results.

4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut diagonal slices through the eggplant flesh all the way to the skin using a paring knife, spacing each slice about 1 inch apart. Cut diagonal slashes perpendicular to the first set to form a 1-inch crosshatch pattern in the eggplant flesh. Slicing the eggplant flesh helps it cook evenly and allows oil and seasonings to penetrate it; just don't cut through the skin when you slice it.

5. Season the eggplant flesh to taste with kosher salt, bending it slightly as you do so the salt gets in the crevices of the slices. Let the eggplant sit while the oven heats up, about 15 minutes, then wipe the moisture from the flesh with a paper towel to dry it.

6. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut surface of it over the eggplant flesh, if desired. Coat the eggplant flesh liberally with olive oil. Gently bend the eggplant while you brush the oil on it so the flesh opens up and the oil drips into the slices you made in it. Place the eggplant half cut-side down on a rimmed baking pan and slide it in the oven.

7. Roast the eggplant half for 30 to 40 minutes or until the skin shrivels and starts to pull away from the flesh. Take the pan out of the oven. Let the eggplant cook for about 5 minutes before serving.