My absolute favorite way to make eggplant (and almost all other veggies) is to roast them almost naked.
First, I start with japanese eggplant. If you can find them, they're really far superior to the fat "regular" variety. You might try farmer's markets or oriental groceries. They're about the shape of a zuchini, but often curved a bit, and the color I usually find is pink or fuschia instead of purple. You don't have to salt or soak them as they aren't bitter at all. There are other varieties of eggplant too, and they're probably just as good if they're small. Like the ones actually shaped and the size of a chicken egg.
Anyway, I don't peel the japanese eggplant, because the skin is not tough at all. I just slice the eggplant in half, or more commonly big chunks, and toss them in a ziploc bag with a very small amount of oil (like a tsp or maybe 2 if it's a big bag). Shake to coat, and then add seasonings (garlic powder and dry ranch dressing mix are my faborites), then bake in a glass or metal baking pan at 400 degrees until they're soft and yummy (usually about 20 minutes, more if the chunks are big).
It'll be another month before the farmer's markets here will have many, but I've already been checking them, "just in case."
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I cube it then toss it with as little olive oil as I can get away with, and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over it before roasting. It's also very tasty char-grilled 
