Herb Stuffing/Dressing

This is one of my dad's recipes.  He was famous for his "secret ingredient".  It was always something that put the recipe over the edge.  It would be good without it but GREAT with it. This recipe also has a  "secret ingredient".

1 lb pork sausage
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 can chicken stock
2 (8 oz) packages of herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 (8 oz) can of water chestnuts, drained
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1; Brown sausage, stirring to crumble, drain.
2: Add celery, mushrooms, and onion.  Cook over low heat until tender.
3: Add chicken stock -combine rest of ingredients - spoon into baking dish.
4: Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min.

Yield - 9 cups.


So what is the secret ingredient???  Can you find it?  Dad was nice enough to always include it in his recipes that he wrote down.  Thank goodness or we would never have been able to replicate his recipes.

This recipe starts out innocent enough until you get to the water chestnuts.  That is the secret ingredient.  It is a great item in stuffing because it gives you a little crunch.  Not a hard crunch like a nut, but an easy crunch.  The water chestnuts hold up to cooking and don't get soggy in the moistness of the stuffing.  It is there but you really can't quite place what it is.  That is what makes it the secret ingredient. See?

You can leave the water chestnuts out and the stuffing will be fine, but with them it is GREAT!