My husband begs for this hearty dinner on cold nights. The meat is so tender you don’t even need a knife. Just 4 ingredients for the best gravy ever.

On the coldest nights out here in the country, this is the pot I like to have bubbling away on the counter. These slow cooker 4-ingredient mushroom beef tips remind me of the kind of hearty church-supper dishes I grew up with in the Midwest: simple, thrifty, and all about comfort. The beef turns so tender you truly don’t need a knife, and the mushroom gravy tastes like it simmered on Grandma’s stove all afternoon, even though the slow cooker does all the work. With just four pantry-friendly ingredients, it’s the kind of recipe my husband asks for again and again when the wind starts howling and the fields turn brown.

Serve these mushroom beef tips right over a big scoop of fluffy mashed potatoes so all that rich brown gravy has somewhere to soak in. Buttered egg noodles, white rice, or even thick slices of toasted country bread are all wonderful under that glossy mushroom sauce. Add a simple green side—steamed green beans, buttered peas, or a tossed salad—and maybe a pan of warm dinner rolls to mop up every last bit from the slow cooker.