Slow-Fried Potatoes with Thyme and Taleggio

It was brilliant to hear from our old pal Holly today, singing the vegan praises of the leeky/cheesy risotto recipe. Thought I'd suggest a recipe that 'Lissa raved about, but can also be classified as "veganified". Please don't think I have a thing about taleggio (a cheese that's not always to find in the US), it's a Nigel Slater thing. Like the risotto, you can sub taleggio with any soft cheese (Brie, Camembert, Cambazola etc). For Holly's benefit, I'm giving measurements in both imperial (US) and metric (the rest of the world):

Name:
Slow-fried Potatoes with Thyme and Taleggio

Book:
Nigel Slater, Real Food (Fourth Estate, London, 1998)

Date(s) cooked:
Cooked only once but no date available...probably sometime in 2001/2

Comments:
"I must start by saying this was extraordinary. 'Lissa (who had resolved to mark supersonically hard)gave it 8.5 out of 10; said it could do with more garlic (I agree), then wolfed down "thirds" of the spuds. Really special. Had with green beans and Anne Lindsay's Spanish dressing. Oooh la la!"

Recipe:
Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish for, say, grilled ham or cold chicken.

500g/1lb 2oz waxy potatoes
a medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
50g/20z (a thick slice) butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
a small palmful of thyme leaves
100g/4oz semi-soft cheese such as taleggio or fontina

Slice the potatoes into rounds the thickness of pound coins. Fry the sliced onions gently in the oil and butter in a shallow pan about 22cm in diameter. As it becomes soft and pale gold add the potatoes, a little salt and ground pepper, the garlic and thyme and toss gently to coat the spuds in oil and herbs.

Turn the heat as low as possible and cover the pan so that the potatoes cook slowly, stirring them from time to time. After forty to fifty minutes they will be soft and golden. Slice the cheese thinly, lay it on the potatoes and cover the pan again. It will have melted after a couple of minutes.