Posni Punjeni Krompir — Serbian Stuffed Potatoes with Mushrooms and Walnuts

Serbian Fast Without Oil Published June 13, 2026

Across Serbia the fasting cook is a master of making something special out of nothing much, and these baked stuffed potatoes are a favorite for posni Sundays and feast-day fasts. Large potatoes are baked until fluffy, hollowed, and filled with a savory mushroom-and-walnut stuffing bound with the scooped potato flesh — then returned to the oven until the tops crisp. The walnuts bring richness and protein, the mushrooms bring deep umami, and garlic and dill tie it to the Slavic table.

They eat like comfort food but stand up as a real fasting main: two stuffed halves with a spoon of sauerkraut on the side is a full plate that leaves you fueled for the day. The walnut-and-mushroom filling carries enough substance that nobody reaches for anything else.

This version is built without oil for strict cooked-food days — the filling is sautéed in broth, and the walnuts supply all the richness it needs. On an oil day, sauté the mushrooms in sunflower oil and brush the potato tops before the final bake for a glossier, crisper finish.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (adaptable for oil days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4 (8 stuffed halves)
TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
- 300g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup (75g) walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 large bunch fresh dill and parsley, chopped
- Sauerkraut, to serve

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 200C (400F). Prick the potatoes all over and bake directly on the rack for 50-60 minutes, until completely tender. Remove and let them cool just enough to handle.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a wide skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in a few tablespoons of broth, adding splashes as it dries, for about 8 minutes until soft. (For oil days: fry the onion in 2 tablespoons sunflower oil instead.)

3. Add the chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, again adding broth as needed, for 8-10 minutes until they have released their liquid and it has cooked away and they are browned and concentrated. Stir in the garlic and walnuts and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Halve the baked potatoes lengthwise. Scoop most of the flesh into the skillet, leaving a sturdy 1cm shell. Mash the scooped potato into the mushroom-walnut mixture, season with soy sauce, pepper, and salt, and stir through most of the dill and parsley. Add a splash of broth if the filling seems dry.

5. Pile the filling back into the potato shells, mounding it generously. Set them on a baking sheet.

6. Return to the oven for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are golden and crisped at the edges. (For oil days: brush the tops with a little oil before this bake.) Scatter with the remaining dill and serve hot with sauerkraut.

NOTES

- For oil days, fry the filling in sunflower oil and brush the potato tops before the final bake (see steps 2 and 6).
- Dried porcini, soaked and chopped, deepen the filling dramatically; use the soaking liquid in place of some broth.
- Make the filling and bake the potatoes a day ahead, then stuff and do the final bake just before serving.
- For even more protein, fold 1/2 cup cooked lentils into the filling.