My grandmother passed down this hearty secret. Just 4 ingredients for the most comforting dinner imaginable.

My grandmother called this her “busy farm day supper.” When there were chores to finish and company expected, she’d tuck pork chops and potatoes into the slow cooker with just a few pantry staples and let it quietly turn into the kind of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal that makes the whole house smell like home. This 4-ingredient version stays true to that Amish-style simplicity: no fuss, no fancy steps, just tender golden pork chops, soft russet potatoes, and a creamy, pepper-flecked gravy that tastes like it took all day on the stove—because it did, in the best possible way.

Serve these creamy pork chops and potatoes straight from the slow cooker into shallow bowls so the sauce can pool around everything. A simple green vegetable—steamed green beans, buttered peas, or a tossed lettuce salad—adds a fresh note alongside all that cozy richness. Warm dinner rolls or a slice of crusty bread are perfect for mopping up the extra gravy, and if you like a little color, a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions on top brightens the plate without changing the old-fashioned character of the dish.

Servings: 4

4 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Spread the diced russet potatoes in an even layer on the bottom so they form a soft bed for the pork chops.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and the whole milk until smooth and creamy. This is your simple, old-fashioned gravy base.

Pour about half of the soup mixture evenly over the potatoes in the slow cooker, gently stirring the potatoes once or twice so they’re lightly coated but still mostly in an even layer.

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. Lay them in a single layer directly on top of the potatoes. It’s fine if they overlap just a little, but try to keep them mostly flat so they cook evenly and stay tender.

Pour the remaining soup and milk mixture over the pork chops, making sure each chop is covered with some sauce. Use the back of a spoon to nudge the sauce around so it seeps down between the chops and potatoes.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the pork chops are cooked through and fork-tender. The sauce will be thick, creamy, and gently bubbling around the edges.

Once cooked, carefully lift the pork chops out with a wide spatula so they stay intact, then give the potatoes and sauce a gentle stir under them. Nestle the chops back on top, spooning some of the creamy gravy over each one.

Let the slow cooker sit, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes on WARM to allow everything to settle and the sauce to thicken slightly more. Serve hot, with a generous spoonful of potatoes and gravy under and over each pork chop, and a light sprinkle of black pepper if you like.

If you grew up with cream of chicken or cream of celery soup in the pantry, you can swap either one for the cream of mushroom and keep the 4-ingredient simplicity. For a richer, almost Sunday-supper flavor, replace half of the milk with heavy cream, or use evaporated milk the way many farm cooks did when fresh milk was spoken for. Bone-in pork chops stay juicier, but boneless chops work as long as you watch the time and lean toward the shorter end so they don’t dry out. If you need to stretch the meal to feed more people, add another 1 pound of potatoes and a third can of soup, then thin with an extra 1/2 cup of milk; the cooking time stays about the same, but you’ll have more of that comforting gravy. You can also slice the potatoes instead of dicing them for a more old-fashioned scalloped look—just keep them about 1/4 inch thick so they soften nicely. For easy cleanup and serving, use a white slow cooker insert if you have one; the pale, creamy sauce, golden pork, and soft potatoes show off beautifully against it, just like a church potluck casserole.