Yes you can grow bigger and stronger with 1 or 2 working sets. By working I mean the ones closest to failure.
The pyramid method, around since forever, pretty much does this. I found through years of trial and error that 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps, working up in weight, works wonders. The method is a built in warmup and accounts for "bad days"- you just peak at a lower weight.