Preheat your oven to 400°. Place the potatoes on a foil-lined small sheet pan. Use a fork to poke holes in the potato skin. I poked each one 6 times.
Bake the potatoes for 45 to 55 minutes until the potatoes are quite soft. Use a fork or paring knife to check if they are soft. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
While the potatoes bake, cook the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until the bacon bits are crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bits from the skillet and place them on a paper towel-lined plate.
Also, grated the cheese you will be using and chop the green onions or chives and set aside.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch of the flesh on the skin. Place the flesh into a medium-sized bowl.
Place the potato skins back onto the foil-lined sheet pan and brush both the insides and outsides of the skins with olive oil. Set your oven to 375° and bake the skins for 15 minutes to crisp.
While the skins are crisping, mash the potato flesh along with the half and half, salt, and pepper. You can use a hand masher or electric mixer.
Remove the skins from the oven and spoon the mashed potatoes into the potato shells. Top the potatoes with the grated cheese of choice. Put the potatoes back into the oven for 15 minutes in order to melt the cheese.
Remove them from the oven and top with bacon bits and chopped onions or chives. Serve hot.