Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚.
2. Arrange bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan, and bake on the middle rack until crispy, 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of bacon. Drain on paper towels, reserve bacon drippings, and finely chop.
3. Rub olive oil over potatoes and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt, if desired. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 30 minutes. Prick each potato with a fork and continue cooking until potatoes are tender, about 15 additional minutes.
4. While potatoes are cooking, sauté shallots in 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings until tender and fragrant.
5. When potatoes are just cool enough to handle but the interior flesh is hot, slice off 1/4 piece from the top of each potato and, with a melon baller or spoon, scoop flesh into a large bowl. Leave about 1/4-inch-thick shell on the potato “bowl” and place potato shells on a baking sheet.
6. With a potato masher (it’s important to do this while potatoes are still hot), mash potato flesh with butter, sour cream, half-and-half, shallots and chopped bacon. If desired, with an electric beater, whip on lowest speed until just silky smooth. If you overwhip, your potatoes will likely become gummy.
7. When mixture has cooled down a bit, stir in ¾ cup of cheese and chives, and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
8. Stuff potato mixture into potato shells and sprinkle each potato with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. (This can be done up to 24 hours in advance at this point.)
9. Thirty minutes before serving, bake on middle rack in 400˚ oven until heated through, 20-30 minutes.