Mashed Potato

It has been a very long time since I've made mashed potato at home. When my eldest niece was still here with us in Doha, we always make sure we have stocked "boxed" mashed potato in the house to go with our steak and veggie dinner. However, since she left to study in the Philippines, it just wasn't as much fun having my steak dinner in the house. Oh now I'm starting to miss her... we both love to eat and except from sashimi, usually crave for the same foods, best of all -- steak! That's why whenever I come home to the Philippines, I make sure to bring her and my Tatay kilos of steak to store in the ref. The same way that we bring pork to Qatar, we bring home steak to the Philippines, hehe!
Now just recently, I learned that our Big Ate also loves mashed potato. Well I know she likes it but not to the point that she'd forego rice in favor of mashed potato. At first I just also buy the "boxed" type for her, (you know, that mashed potato flakes you can get from the supermarket?), until yesterday when I just thought, how hard can it be to make it at home from fresh potatoes? Surely it would be much more healthier and as I realize, way cheaper than the boxed one. And so I tried doing it at home substituting the boxed potato flakes with boiled potatoes and adding the same ingredients as instructed in the box. The only thing I added which our Big Ate didn't like is the chopped parsley so I'll remember to set aside a portion for her before adding it the next time. 

Ingredients:
500gms potatoes
4-5 cups water
2/3 cup butter
5 tbs milk
1 tsp chicken broth granules (or powder)
salt & pepper
parsley, chopped (optional)

Method:
Peel potatoes and dice to about an inch cubes each. Rinse and put in a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes. Check if the potatoes are very tender before turning off the heat.
Dice the butter and put in a mixing bowl with chicken broth granules and pepper.
When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat, drain and transfer into the bowl with the butter. Mash together with the butter mixture. 
Slowly add milk (I've used 5 tbs, but you can adjust to achieve your desired consistency) and salt to suit your taste.
Add some chopped parsley if desired and toss to distribute parsley evenly.
Serve with your favorite roast or fried dish. Enjoy!